The legendary country singer Toby Keith, took home the prestigious Country Icon Award at the 2023 People’s Choice Country Awards on Sept. 28.
Blake Shelton announced Keith to the stage, reflecting on his decades-long career and Toby Keith’s impacts.
“I bet you never thought y’all’d see me in skinny jeans,” Toby, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2022, shared. “I want to thank the Almighty for allowing me to be here tonight, he’s been riding shotgun with me for a little while now.”
The “As Good as I Once Was” Keith praised those closest to him for standing by his side through thick and thin.
“I want to thank my beautiful family that’s here,” he continued. “A lot of people go in and make a career like this of 30 years.”
He then sang “Don’t Let the Old Man In” with tears in his eyes, and Tricia Lucas, his wife of nearly 40 years, was seen wiping tears from her eyes in the audience.
Watch his performance of ‘Don’t Let The Old Man In‘
Toby Keith revealed in June 2022 that he’d been diagnosed with cancer the previous fall and spent six months undergoing treatment, including chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.
“I feel pretty good,” Keith told E! News at the inaugural event, where he received the Country Icon Award. “It’s a little bit of a roller coaster. You get good days and, you know, you’re up and down, up and down. It’s always zero to 60 and 60 to zero but I feel good today.”
Source E News, AP, Country Living, NBC