Country music singer Toby Keith has taken a break from public life in the last few years due to health issues, but he's had the support of his longtime wife, Tricia Lucus.
The "Beer For My Horses" singer had been diagnosed with stomach cancer in the fall of 2021, but he recently started making public appearances again, even returning to the stage at a recent charity event.
Keith has been in the public eye since the release of his 1993 song "Should've Been a Cowboy," and the singer has maintained a strong family life in that time and has now been married for 39 years.
Here's a look at Toby Keith's family life, and his marriage to longtime wife Tricia Lucus.
Who Is Toby Keith's wife?
Toby Keith Covel found the love of his life long before he came to national attention as a successful country music singer.
In an interview with People Magazinein 2001, the pair confirmed their origin story, which dated back to the early 1980s in their native Oklahoma.
After graduating Moore High School in 1979, Keith became a $50,000-per-year oil-field worker, but he continued playing local bars at night. In one Oklahoma bar, he met his future wife, Tricia Lucus.
"I was 19 and he was 20," Lucus told People. "He was just one of those larger-than-life guys, full of confidence."
The pair married three years later, tying the knot on March 24, 1984. Around that time, Keith started focusing on his music after the oil fields "went bust," he recalled. The couple raised a family but had to contend with creditors. "He'd say, 'Trish, one of these days, my time is coming. Hang in there,'" Lucus said.
Keith was proven right in 1993 when his single "Should've Been a Cowboy" went to number 1 on the North American country music charts, and his debut eponymous album went platinum in the United States.
How Many Kids Does Toby Keith Have?
Lucus already had a daughter, born in 1980, before she met Keith. Keith later adopted Shelley Covel Rowland in 1984, the same year he and Lucus wed.
The couple then had a child, daughter Krystal LaDawn Covel Sandubrae in 1985, and Stelen Keith Covel in 1997. Krystal, a country singer in her own right, may best be known under the stage name Krystal Keith. She released her debut album Whiskey & Lace in 2013.
Toby and Tricia also now have four grandchildren. He often posts family pictures on his Instagram account, including a group photo on Thanksgiving in 2018.
Toby Keith's Health
Keith revealed to his followers in June 2022 that he'd been diagnosed with stomach cancer in the fall of 2021. Though he regularly updated his social media accounts in this time, he returned to public life in June 2023, attending his charity event, the Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic weekend. He told The Oklahoman that his prognosis is "good" and he hoped to return to making music and performing again later this year.
Keith's representatives told Newsweek that they are "working on a lot of exciting things" and will share them soon.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jamie Burton is a Newsweek Senior TV and Film Reporter (Interviews) based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
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