Toby Keith’s Son Remembers Dad On First Anniversary Of His Death

Toby Keith Passed Away On February 5, 2024

Country legend Toby Keith died a year ago following a hard-fought battle with stomach cancer. His family announced his passing on his official Instagram the next day.

“Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on February 5, surrounded by his family. He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time,” they wrote alongside a photo of him from earlier in his career.

Toby is survived by his wife of nearly 40 years, Tricia, daughters Shelley and Krystal, son Stelen (Haley), and four grandchildren.

Toby Keith and family

Following Toby’s Death, Stelen, wrote A Moving Tribute On Instagram

“You are the strongest man I have ever known. A fighter. A true titan of your industry. My guiding star. My coach. My hero. An embodiment of the American Spirit,” he wrote alongside a childhood photo.

He wrote about his father’s passion, strength, and faith before signing off the post with the following:

“The only thing I truly ever wanted in life was to make you proud. I promise I will continue to make you proud. It’s not goodbye forever; it’s just goodbye for now. I love you cowboy.”


Stelen has made several appearances in honor of his father over the last year, the first being the announcement that Toby Keith would be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the CMT Music Awards, the ACM Awards, and the Toby Keith: American Icon tribute concert, among other events.

Stelen Covel Remembers His Legendary Father A Year After His Death

On February 5, 2025, Toby’s family paid tribute to him with emotional posts.

Krystal shared a series of photos of her and her dad along with the caption, “It feels like yesterday we said goodbye and yet it somehow has also been the longest year without him. I can’t help but find gratitude in all the time we had because we did all of life as a family unit. It’s hard to find a candid picture where he doesn’t have one of our babies in his arms. He was their favorite, and they were his. Our littles miss their buddy big time but we all know we will see him again someday. Until then, he will watch over us and walk beside us. Every sunset (and he LOOOOVED his sunsets) is a reminder that he wants us to live our best life and do good in the world. So that’s exactly is what we will do.”

His team also shared a tribute.

Stelen posted a video of his dad playing his song “If I Was Jesus” sitting on the couch with him. Alongside the video, he wrote, “A whole year without my hero. Here’s to one day having more of these nights. Love you dad.”

Krystal commented on the video, “Those nights were my favorite,” while Stelen’s wife, Haley, wrote, “So many of these nights but this one was extra special.”

See Stelen’s post below.