Toby Keith Quit Chemo Before He Died, Hoped It Wasn’t “Too Late”

Brett Favre Reveals Conversation He Had With Toby Keith Two Weeks Before He Died

Toby Keith quit chemotherapy shortly before he died, according to his good friend, former NFL star Brett Favre.

Favre spoke with TMZ Sports after Keith passed away on February 5 at the age of 62. Favre told the outlet that he and Keith talked on the phone every three months since he received his stomach cancer diagnosis in 2021.

Their last phone call was just two weeks before Keith passed away. Favre recalls that Keith “was just tired” when he talked to him. Still, he told him, “Brett, whatever happens, I’m okay with it.”

Toby Keith Stopped Chemo Shortly Before He Died

Favre says Keith also told him he quit chemo not long before they talked. He told Favre he felt like the treatments made him feel worse than the cancer itself.

“I quit chemo and it probably did more damage to me than the cancer did,” Favre recalled Keith telling him. “And he said, ‘I just hope I didn’t quit it too late, but… I’m thankful I got a chance to play some shows. I finished them.”

Keith was referencing the three sold-out shows he performed in Las Vegas in December. During his show on December 12, his mother, Carolyn Joan Covel, joined him onstage to say hello to everyone during “Red Solo Cup.”

Keith’s setlist during his Vegas shows included hits such as “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” “Beer for My Horses,” and “Don’t Let the Old Man In.”

Just one week before he died, Keith’s team shared a video of him performing “Don’t Let the Old Man In” in Vegas. They said “It was a special moment” to watch him perform the song.

 

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Now, that performance is extra meaningful knowing it was one of the last times Keith ever sang.

Favre has so much admiration for how Keith battled cancer up until the very end. As he said, “He handled it with grace, and faith, and family, and stood up to the cancer about as good as you can.”

Listen to Favre speak more about his final conversation with Keith by tuning in to the video below.

Toby Keith was the founder of the Toby Keith Foundation. The foundation helps support the OK Kids Korral, which serves as a home-away-from-home for families with children undergoing cancer treatments. If you’d like to make a donation in Toby’s memory, you can visit the Toby Keith Foundation’s official website here.