TOBY'S BRAVES BATTLE

FANS AND FAMOUS FRIENDS ARE RALLYING AROUND COUNTRY STAR TOBY KEITH AFTER HIS SHOCKING STOMACH CANCER REVELATION.

IN late May, country music legend Toby Keith appeared to be in good spirits while attending the 18th annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic in Oklahoma. Dressed casually in sneakers, jeans, and a red hoodie, the “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” singer happily posed for photographs with attendees as the event helped raise nearly $1.4 million for charity.

Little did fans know he was secretly suffering. Weeks later, on June 12, the 61-year-old revealed on Instagram that he’s been battling stomach cancer since the fall. “I’ve spent the last 6 months receiving chemo, radiation, and surgery,” he wrote. “So far, so good.” After hiding his illness for so long, an insider tells Star, the Oklahoma native is in the fight of his life and trying to stay strong for his wife of 38 years, Tricia Lucus, and their three kids Shelley, 42, Krystal, 36, and Stelen, 25, as well as his four young grandchildren. “Toby’s been dealing with the diagnosis in a quiet, yet forceful way,” says the insider. “He’s determined to beat this thing.”

COMING CLEAN

It wasn’t easy for the 6-foot-3 star to open up about his private pain. “He’s not the kind of guy who would want the world to know about his illness,” the insider says. He had no choice when his condition forced him to cancel his remaining shows for 2022. “No one blames Toby for keeping it quiet for as long as he did, but with the tour coming up, he did the brave thing and let everyone know.”