Country Star Says Toby Keith Saved Their Life After Heart Attack
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
Two months after Toby Keith passed away in 2024 after a cancer battle, a friend of his had two heart attacks and almost died. The country artist credits Toby Keith’s spirit with saving their life. Keep reading for all the details on the spiritual reprieve.
Toby Keith Fought Cancer
Toby Keith mysteriously disappeared from the public eye around 2021. When he reappeared, fans were shocked by his change in appearance. The once muscular country artist looked like a shell of himself. He resurfaced in 2022 to share the news that he had stomach cancer and had been secretly battling it for the last year.
Fans rallied around him as he vowed to beat the cancer and resume touring. Toby Keith’s last TV performance was on September 28, 2023, at the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards, where he performed “Don’t Let the Old Man In” and received the Country Icon Award. He performed a handful of concerts in Vegas that December.
Toby Keith passed away on February 5, 2024, a little over two years after he was diagnosed.
Country Star Says Toby Keith’s Spirit Saved Their Life After Heart Attack
Toby Keith’s death hit hard for a lot of country music fans and fellow artists. One of his close friends, Colt Ford, suffered a serious health issue of his own two months after Toby Keith’s death.
Colt Ford had a near-fatal heart attack on April 4, 2024, after a concert in Gilbert, Arizona. He collapsed backstage, went into cardiac arrest twice, and was revived with a defibrillator. Then he underwent a 10-hour surgery and placed in a medically induced coma for eight days. He told Taste of Country Nights that Toby Keith brought him back to life.
@countrymusicalley Colt Ford says he saw Toby Keith when he briefly died #coltford #tobykeith #countrymusic
“There was a bell, it was a bright light and Toby stepped out and said, ‘They’re not ready for you yet Little Dog, go on back down there.’ That’s how I woke up. I literally just opened my eyes, I didn’t know what happened, I didn’t know anything had transpired,” Colt Ford shared.
Toby Keith and the country rapper actually met on the golf course. Colt Ford made a living as a golf player for ten years before getting into the music business. He regularly played golf with the “As Good as I Once Was” singer.
In 2014, Colt Ford was the opening act for Toby Keith and later signed a record deal with his help. “He took a chance on me… The friendship has been unbelievable,” he said about their friendship.
Colt Ford shared how their silly nicknames came about. “He used to call me ‘Little Dog Daddy.’ He was the ‘Big Dog Daddy.’ I guess I can be the ‘Little Dog Daddy’ because he is about a foot taller than me.”
“He was larger than life, man. Toby Keith’s like John Wayne,” Colt Ford added.
