Tricia Lucus was the love of Toby Keith's life. The two would have celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on March 24. Sadly, Keith passed away following a battle with stomach cancer.
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Keith met Lucus after he graduated high school before he became the big-shot country singer he would become. At the time, Keith was working in the oil industry, moonlighting as a singer. The two dated three years before marrying. Keith would adopt Lucus' daughter Shelley as his own. The two would also have two more kids — Krystal and Stelen.
Prior to his death, Keith praised his wife for standing by his side through his illness. She said the she gave him the strength that he needed to fight the cancer.
"She's been a trouper. She's the best nurse," Keith said in an interview with KWTV-DT. "She absolutely the first time we went to Houston, to the hospital, she stepped right in and she just took control and said, 'We got this. Let's go.' So she's like, 'We're going to get this and don't worry about it.'"
Lucus always stood in Keith's corner. Even when it wasn't certain that Keith would become a country singer, Lucus supported Keith and his dream. "Dozens of people told Tricia, 'You need to go to tell your old man to get a real job,''' Keith previously said. "It took a strong-hearted and loving woman to say, 'He's good enough at music that I've got to let him try. And it'll be a great shot for both of us he can make it work."
Toby Keith Loved His Wife
Happy anniversary to Toby and Tricia! pic.twitter.com/TZaeI13ek2
— Toby Keith (@tobykeith) March 24, 2023
In a 2001 interview with People magazine, Lucas said, "Most people think [Toby Keith} is just the most romantic person on the planet. He has his moments of charm," she said. "It is nice to get a bouquet of flowers, but I've told him, 'Save the money. Roses die in five to seven days. Buy me an outfit or take me to dinner. '"
Following Keith's passing, several fans took to Keith's anniversary tribute from last year. They shared their thoughts and prayers for Keith's wife and family. One person wrote, "Families are eternal. We are not put together on this earth by accident. I know he is fighting for right and waiting on the other side. It is peace I pray for the loss you all feel, but know he is waiting and this time on earth is not as long as it somethimes feels."
Another wrote, "My heart breaks for her, may she comfort in God's loving presence, until your together again."
