Toby Keith Posthumously Tops Billboard Charts
By Movieguide® Contributor
Toby Keith’s “35 Biggest Hits” eked out the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top 200 list following the death of the legendary country singer.
Keith’s 16-year-old greatest hits compilation, featuring “Should Have Been a Cowboy” and “Beer For My Horses,” gathered 64 million streams and 11,000 sales during the week of Feb. 17, per Variety. It beat Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time,” a country album that has topped the chart for 18 nonconsecutive weeks since its release in March 2023.
The album becomes Keith’s fifth to reach the top of the Billboard charts.
The legendary county singer passed away on Feb. 5 after a long battle with stomach cancer. Keith first announced his stomach cancer diagnosis in the summer of 2022. By mid-2023, he made multiple surprise appearances.
Along with his countless hits, Keith is remembered by the country music community for his brazen patriotism and bold faith. Throughout his battle with cancer, he was open about his reliance on God.
“I want to thank the Almighty for allowing me to be here tonight,” Keith said while accepting the Country Icon Award at last year’s People’s Choice Country Awards.
“I lean on my faith and I just pray and lean into it. You gotta’ do what you gotta’ do, and I don’t know how people do it without faith,” he added. “That’s what I did, it was my rock.”
As Keith began to approach the end, he remained peaceful, knowing that God held his future in His hands.
“Faith. You have to have your faith. Thank God I got it too,” Keith said during his final interview before his death. “You take it for granted on days that things are good and you lean on it when days are bad. It’s taught me to lean on it a little more every day.”
“I just got to the point where I was comfortable with whatever happened,” he added. “I had my brain wrapped around it and I was in a good spot either way. People without faith don’t have that.”
Movieguide® previously reported:
Country music’s biggest stars are commemorating Toby Keith following his death on Feb. 5.
“Toby Keith has gone home. This is very sad news. We loved and respected him on every level and whispered many a prayer for him as he fought this illness,” said The Oak Ridge Boys. “God must have needed a big-hearted Oklahoma singing boy for the great choir. Well, he got one. RIP Toby Keith.”
Fellow country music star Lee Greenwood added, “Toby Keith did things his way – amazing artist, songwriter, patriot, and man of faith. I admired him and how he rolled. He and I shared a deep love for our military, and I’m proud that he took his music to dangerous places in order to give the American spirit to those protecting freedom.”
“I was pleased he called me the OG and was honored to work with him a few times through the years. Please join our family in praying for the Keith family. I am confident that Toby was met at the pearly gates by patriots who have gone before and is resting in the arms of Jesus,” he continued.
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