(Left) Krystal Keith / Instagram (Right) Haley Covel / Instagram
Country music superstar Toby Keith married his wife, Tricia Lucus in 1984. But he wasn’t a famous country singer when they wed.
Toby worked in an oil field at the time, and made $50,000 a year. He would perform music in local clubs after he finished work.
Eventually, Toby switched to performing music as his full-time job. People told Tricia that Toby was silly for chasing his musical dreams, but she stuck by him.
Toby’s hard work paid off, because his big break came in 1993 after releasing “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.”
RELATED: MEET TOBY KEITH’S WIFE, TRICIA LUCUS
Toby and Tricia were married for just shy of 40 years before he passed away on February 5, 2024. While Tricia mostly remains out of the spotlight, she works with Toby behind the scenes.
Tricia has severed as the co-writer on some of Toby’s songs, and has also helped with the production of his music videos. Additionally, Tricia serves as the Vice President on the Board of Directors for the Toby Keith Foundation.
Toby and Tricia share three children, one of them being a singer herself!
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Shelley is Tricia’s daughter from a previous relationship. She was born in 1980. Toby adopted her after he and Tricia married in 1984, and raised her as his own.
Not much is known about Shelley, as she chooses to live a mostly private life. She married and has children of her own.
You can see a young Shelley in the photo above with her baby sister, Krystal.
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Krystal is the most recognizable of Toby and Tricia’s three kids. She was born in 1985, just one year after her parents married.
At age 19, Krystal made her musical debut as a featured vocalist on Toby’s cover of the song “Mockingbird.” They also performed the song at the CMA Awards that year.
Their version of the song reached the 27th spot on the Hot Country Songs chart.
Krystal attended college at the University of Oklahoma. After graduation, she chose to pursue her own musical career. She signed with Toby’s Show Dog Nashville label in 2013.
Her debut single was a song she wrote to surprise Toby, titled “Daddy Dance with Me.” The first time she ever performed it was on her wedding day.
“Daddy Dance with Me” reached the 58th spot on the Hot Country Songs chart. Krystal’s debut album, Whiskey & Lace, claimed the #12 spot on the Heatseekers Albums chart.
Krystal married Andrew Robert Sandubrae in 2010. They share two daughters: Hensley Jack and Kirby Kaye.
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Toby and Tricia welcomed their only son, Stelen, in 1997.
According to his Instagram page, Stelen serves in the owner/venture management role at the restaurant 405 Burger Bar, the Oklahoma sports news page Sellout Crowd, and the upcoming Tex-Mex restaurant and tequila bar Tequila Chulos. He also works with his dad’s Hollywood Corners restaurant in Norman, Oklahoma.
Stelen married his longtime girlfriend, Haley, in 2021.
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In 2022, Toby revealed he’d been diagnosed with stomach cancer. He kept his cancer battle private for several months before sharing the news.
At the time, Toby said he was taking a break from performing in order to focus on his treatments and spending time with his family. He performed a few times since then, including at the People’s Choice Country Awards.
RELATED: TOBY KEITH DELIVERS FIRST TELEVISION PERFORMANCE SINCE CANCER DIAGNOSIS
Toby’s kids shared their love for him after he went public with his diagnosis. Stelen said:
“He’s a fighter, has done all the measures to mitigate it and needs rest to get back to his self. Please keep the prayers flowing, but know this is all going to be in the rear view a short ways down the road.”
After Toby was honored with the Country Icon Award at the People’s Choice Country Awards, Krystal said:
“He has been my lCON since day 1 and in the last 6 months he has been honored with not one but 2 Icon Awards for the work he dedicated his life to. I love that he is getting recognition as not just MY icon, but an Icon to the music industry and fans.”
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It’s clear that Toby and Tricia raised three loving and supportive children. See more photos of their family in Krystal’s lyric video for the Christmas song “O Holy Night” below.
Toby Keith died on February 5, 2024. Our hearts and prayers go out to Tricia, Shelley, Krystal, Stelen, and their families…
Toby Keith was the founder of the Toby Keith Foundation. The foundation helps support the OK Kids Korral, which serves as a home-away-from-home for families with children undergoing cancer treatments. If you’d like to make a donation in Toby’s memory, you can visit the Toby Keith Foundation’s official website here.
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