It’s still hard to believe that Toby Keith passed away almost six months ago at the age of 62. Toby’s last wishes have now been exposed, and the real truth about what he left behind is bittersweet and emotional for Toby’s family.
On July 9th, In Touch published an exclusive report about Toby’s will. Did you know that Toby was a self-made man who reportedly left a $400 million fortune?
Toby’s real last name was Covel. In Touch confirmed that they obtained copies of legal documents showing how Toby’s widow, Tricia Covel, filed to become the “administrator of his estate” through the court system in Oklahoma, where Toby lived and passed away.
In Touch wrote that Toby first revealed his devastating diagnosis of stomach cancer to the public in June 2022. He’d been battling the disease since the fall of 2021, and he bravely reported that he’d undergone “6 months” of “chemo, radiation, and surgery.” Toby claimed, “So far, so good,” but added that he needed “time to breathe, recover, and relax.”
According to the In Touch exclusive, Toby’s “last will and testament” was “executed on December 15, 2022.” Tricia is one of the heirs of Toby’s vast estate. He also left “real and personal property” to his three adult children.
Taste of Country reported on July 10th that Forbes, the wealth magazine, once nicknamed Toby “country music’s $500 million man.” Whatever the final figure was, Taste of Country agreed that Toby had been a “stunningly wealthy man.”
Toby Wasn’t Comfortable Talking About His Wealth
Shortly after his passing in February, Taste of Country published the real truth about Toby’s net worth. The outlet also mentioned that Toby once told The Oklahoman why he wasn’t “comfortable” talking about his “wealth.”
Toby used to joke that he played “golf with [his] shirttail out,” which showed that he still felt like a blue-collar man at heart. He did admit that he owned a golf course, but only because it was “very, very close” to his house. He jokingly complained, “I don’t want to drive 45 minutes to the north side of Oklahoma City to play golf every day.”
Many fans think that Toby made everything off his 20 number-one hits. However, Taste of Country spilled the tea on what really built Toby’s “financial empire.”
Toby earned money from “record sales, airplay, and concert tours,” but that was “only the tip of the iceberg.” He used his “musical success” to grow his wealth through intelligent business decisions like “endorsement deals,” his restaurant chain called Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill, “a clothing line, a Mezcal brand,” and an acting career.
Taste of Country also reported that Toby “had his own record label, Show Dog Universal.” He even owned a share of Big Machine Records.
Did you know about Toby’s connection to Taylor Swift? Taylor signed with Big Machine in 2005 and remained with the label until 2018. Because Toby owned a stake in Big Machine Records, “he earned a portion of the profits” that Taylor has made in her record-breaking, billion-dollar career.
Toby’s Charity Continues to Raise Money
Since Toby’s passing, The Oklahoman has reported many bittersweet stories about his family. On June 11th, they published an emotional article about Toby’s charity for kids with cancer.
Toby held a two-day golf tournament, banquet, auction, and concert every year to raise funds, and this year, his family helped to set a fundraising record for the OK Kids Korral. It’s uplifting and heartbreaking to read that Toby once called his charity his “greatest accomplishment.” The Oklahoman reported that Toby’s family and “more than 800” of his friends and foundation supporters honored his memory in 2024, and they raised more than $3.1 million.
Toby’s daughter, Krystal, spoke about his legacy with her sister, Shelley, and brother, Stelen, by her side. Krystal said, in part, that it was the “mission… honor… and duty” of Toby’s children to “make sure this event continues and it grows every single year.”
She told the people in attendance, “I hope that you guys can help us do that. I hope that we can count on you to continue to support us. I know that we can.”
Independence Day Was Hardy for the Covel Family
Krystal also did a “one-on-one” interview with The Oklahoman on June 9th and made some emotional confessions. The Oklahoman reported that Toby’s family expected “Father’s Day to be tough” in 2024, but Krystal admitted that July 4th would be “even harder for the family that Toby left behind.”
Krystal revealed that Toby had often been “on the road” doing concerts every Father’s Day. But on the Fourth of July, she said that the whole family “always spent time with him.”
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Independence Day was “a really big holiday” for Toby. Krystal said the family loved spending time at their “lake house” or “golf club.” She admitted they “literally would fill the bed of his truck with fireworks” to set off after dark.
Toby’s Widow Fears for the Family’s Safety
On July 11th, In Touch published another exclusive report, claiming that Tricia is scared that Toby’s family will receive “threats” from the public if his “secret businesses” are exposed. In Touch added that Tricia and her children “pleaded that information about the late country singer’s assets not be revealed to the public” because it could lead to “harassment and threats to their safety.” Tricia was so serious about her fears that she “asked an Oklahoma judge to seal records related to her late husband’s estate.”
In Touch revealed that Tricia and “all the beneficiaries” of Toby’s estate “agreed to a partial distribution” of his assets. This might sound unbelievable, but Tricia allegedly told that judge in Oklahoma that Toby and his whole family had been “under constant threats for their safety and security” for years before he passed away.
She revealed in a court motion that Toby made sure their home address “was private.” He even established “an alias” for everyone in the family. But that wasn’t all.
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Tricia confessed that Toby hired “a personal security company.” He kept “security for himself” and “his family members at all times of the day and night, week, and year.”
Now that Toby is gone, Tricia is making a valid point that “broadcasting” his “private affairs” will “increase the threat” and could bring “unnecessary harassment upon the family.” She claimed that it was “an invasion of privacy” and should “outweigh the public’s interest” in knowing the intimate details of Toby’s will.
Toby’s Rep Felt He Was Misunderstood
It’s twisted to learn how much Toby feared for himself and his family and how far he went to protect them. That doesn’t jive with the rough-and-tumble image he always presented on stage and screen. After he passed away, Toby’s rep claimed that he was always “painted in a certain way,” and it was an “incorrect” portrayal of who Toby was.
On February 7th, In Touch reported that Elaine Schock released a statement. Elaine was Toby’s rep, and she sweetly revealed that she “loved” him and always felt he’d been “misunderstood.”
Elaine said Toby was “kind” and was “so much more” than what some people thought he was. She called Toby “one of the most courageous men I knew.”
Toby famously feuded with Natalie Maines of The Chicks over his controversial song, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” Natalie once told the Los Angeles Daily News that Toby made “country music sound ignorant.” She said, “You’ve got to have some tact.”
The real truth was that Toby knew the song was “extreme.” He admitted everything in an interview with Time.
Toby revealed that he wrote the song to show support for America’s “fighting men and women” after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He admitted that once people told him he should “release it,” he “knew there was going to be trouble.”
Years later, Fox Nation interviewed Toby. He explained the song and its meaning a bit further. Toby said that he “knew” the song would be “polarizing” and also a “lightning rod.”
After he “prayed on it,” he released the song as a “battle cry” for the brave people fighting for freedom to “go win and get back home safely.” That’s who he really was.
