Why Brett Favre Claims Toby Keith Stopped His Cancer Treatment

Football star Brett Favre has shed some light on Toby Keith's final days.

Since February 6, country music fans have mourned the "Red Solo Cup" singer, who passed away following a three-year struggle with stomach cancer. "Toby Keith passed away peacefully last night on Feb 5, surrounded by his family. He fought his fight with grace and courage," his website announced at the time of his death. As the message suggested, Keith sported a resilient spirit up until his passing. Four days before he died, the "Should've Been A Cowboy" singer shared footage from his final show in December 2023 on Instagram. "And that's a wrap on the weekend, y'all. Back to it," his caption read.

Keith also shared a hopeful update on his health in January 2024 during an interview on "The Bobby Bones Show." "It's going pretty good. It's a roller coaster, and it takes a little while to get your brain wrapped around it," he explained. "And then you get to a point where you just say, 'Hey, this is what I do, and you can't let it define your future." While Keith refrained from sharing further details about the status of his cancer at the time, his friend Favre revealed some shocking news about the trajectory the former took regarding his treatments.

Since Toby Keith's untimely passing, an array of his celebrity peers have come out reflecting on the country music star's life, including Brett Favre. During an interview with TMZ Sports, the former football MVP revealed that he spoke to Keith two weeks before his death. "I sent him a message and said, 'Hey man, it's great to see you back up and playing, and I'm hoping that you're turning a corner,'" he explained. "And he said, 'I quit chemo and it probably did more damage to me than the cancer did and he said I'm just hoping I didn't quit it too late.'" Favre went on to say that Keith still looked on the bright side of his situation, revealing that the singer expressed his gratitude for being able to play a few shows. 

"I didn't ask him 'what's the future hold for him,' and he didn't divulge anything; we just had a general conversation, and gosh darn it, two weeks later, he's passed away," he added. Favre's interview came the same day Keith's son, Stelen Covel, shared a heartwarming tribute for his father on Instagram, describing him as a guiding star and his hero. "You are the strongest man I have ever known. A fighter. A true titan of your industry," he wrote. "You are a man whose strength, prowess, and talent could only be trumped by his ability to be a father and husband."