Reba McEntire Shares Memories of Touring with Late ‘Distinctive Vocalist’ Toby Keith (Exclusive)

Reba McEntire remembers Toby Keith’s legacy after his death.

After Keith’s family confirmed Monday night that the country icon had “passed peacefully away” at the age of 62, McEntire opened up about her memories of touring with the “I Love This Bar” singer, who is from Oklahoma.

“We will miss him dearly, not only as a friend, but as a fellow artist and person in the music business and from Oklahoma,” McEntire told PEOPLE in an interview about the upcoming collaboration with Sonic.

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Toby Keith performs in Austin in October 2021.

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“But he doesn’t have to fight anymore and he doesn’t have to hurt anymore,” she adds of Keith, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer in the fall of 2021. “I hope to see him awake in heaven one day. Thank God we have his wonderful music to give us keeps company, even though he is not here on earth with us.”

In the mid-90s, McEntire and Keith held concerts together. “It was a lot of fun,” he recalls of the tour. “Toby was more of a renegade, outlaw type, and I’m a little Miss Goody Two-Shoes, so it was two ends of the spectrum.”

During his decades-long career, Keith won over audiences with chart-topping country hits including “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” “I Love This Bar,” “As Good as I Once Was” and “Made in America.” , among others. .

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Reba McEntire performs in Nashville in June 2023.

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“He was a great writer, a great singer. When Toby came on the radio, you knew who it was,” says McEntire. “Toby Keith was a distinctive vocalist, a stylist, who you knew exactly who he was. So that’s a wonderful quality.”

Referencing Keith’s 2011 hit “Red Solo Cup,” It’s not that fancy the author jokes that the lyrics of that song resonate with her: “He and I have that in common — I do love me a Solo cup.”

On Tuesday, Keith’s family shared the news of his death in a social media post. “Toby Keith passed away peacefully last night, February 5, surrounded by his family. He fought his battle with grace and courage,” the statement read. “Please respect his family’s privacy at this time.”

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Source: HIS Education