Before accepting the Country Icon Award at Thursday’s People’s Choice Country Awards, where he also gave a performance that moved his wife to tears, Toby Keith opened up about his “roller coaster” experience following his cancer diagnosis.
In an exclusive interview with E! News that was released in advance of the awards ceremony, Keith, 62, said, “I feel pretty good.”
The country musician admitted last year that he was diagnosed with stomach cancer in the fall of 2021 and had undergone months of treatment. He described his condition as “a little bit of a roller coaster,”
You have good days and bad days, you know, ups and downs. I feel fantastic today, but it’s constantly zero to sixty and sixty to zero,” Keith added.
He allegedly claimed that his tumor had decreased by a third of its size in June.
The “Red Solo Cup” singer spoke up before accepting the Country Icon Award at the awards ceremony on Thursday night when he also performed “Don’t Let the Old Man In.”
Throughout the performance, Tricia Lucus, Keith’s wife, appeared to be wiping away tears.
Keith praised his family, crew, and “most of all” the fans during his award speech for “allowing us to still do what we do.”
Keith stated in an interview with E! News that it was “nice to be recognized for my 30-year career” at the awards ceremony. He remarked, “It’s pretty mind-boggling.”
It’s incredible, he remarked, “the years of pounding those songs around and remembering where you were at the time when each one was conceived.”