Country music icon Toby Keith died way too young on February 5, 2024 at age 62 from stomach cancer. He is mourned and missed deeply by his family, his colleagues in the country music industry, and his legions of loyal fans. Keith's music is truly his lasting legacy. People will listen to his songs forever. What Toby Keith did is timeless, classic, and immutable. Such was the bedrock of his inarguable talent.
A video has surfaced reportedly showing Keith's final recording session. It was done in conjunction with another superstar, the great Luke Combs. This is what we learned about it.
Toby Keith Is In The Video Along With Fellow Legend Luke Combs
They Are Singing 'Ships That Don't Come In,' Joe Diffie's 1992 Hit
Per The Tennessean, "Five months after the release of HARDY's latest installment of his HIXTAPE project, "DIFFTAPE — a 17-song collaboration honoring the life and works of Oklahoma-born country legend Joe Diffie, in conjunction with the Diffie estate — an incredible moment related to the project is seeing the light of day."
The outlet added, "A video of another Oklahoman — late country giant Toby Keith — has been released. In it, Keith pairs with Grammy-winning country superstar Luke Combs for an in-studio recording session of the 'DIFFTAPE' version of Diffie's 1992 hit 'Ships That Don't Come In.'"
Luke Combs Issued A Statement About What The Experience Meant To Him
It Was Especially Meaningful To Combs
Luke Combs' statement about the project via The Tennessean reads in part, "I grew up listening to both of those guys' [Joe Diffie's and Toby Keith's] music, so to be a part of this version of the song and it now be Toby's last recording is kind of hard to put into words. Country music misses them greatly, but I hope we're doing justice to continue what they started."
What Were Some Of The Milestones Of Toby Keith's Career?
He Had A Slew Of Memorable Hits
Per The Songwriters Hall Of Fame, Toby Keith was extremely prolific and incredibly successful. His hits included staples of the country music genre like "Red Solo Cup," 'I Love This Bar," and "Should've Been A Cowboy." Keith sold more than 40 million albums and had almost three dozen chart-topping singles.
His obituary in The New York Times lauded Toby Keith as "one of the biggest stars to come out of Nashville in three decades."
The headline called Keith "a larger-than-life country music star." Indeed he was.
