What We Know About Toby Keith's Children
Legendary country singer Toby Keith has died after a long bout of stomach cancer. "Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on February 5, surrounded by his family. He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at the time," a statement shared across the singer's social media profiles read. Until his death, Keith and his wife Tricia Lucus had been married for nearly 40 years and had three kids; Shelley Covel Rowland, Krystal Keith, and son Stelen Keith Covel.
Despite Keith's successful career, the famed singer never lost sight of his role as a father, often showing up for his kids as much as he could. During a 2018 appearance on the "Children of Song" podcast, Krystal opened up about her childhood, revealing that despite his hectic schedule, the country singer was a very present father. "I think it speaks volumes that the way I kind of remember childhood is I don't really remember him being gone. When he was home, he was so present that I don't remember the spans of him being gone," she recounted.
But while Keith might have been in the public eye for a long time, not much is known about the country singer's kids.
One of Toby Keith's kids followed in his footsteps
Despite their famous father, Toby Keith's children have gone on to make a name for themselves — albeit also in the music industry. Krystal, Keith's second child, has an active music career, with her first major project being "Mockingbird," a track off her father's 2004 "Greatest Hits 2" album. Though supportive of Krystal's interest in music, Keith insisted she finish college before pursuing music full-time. "He always said, 'I earned all of this money, and my kids have every opportunity to go to college,'" she recounted on the "Children of Song" podcast. Upon graduating from college, Krystal snagged a record deal with Show Dog-Universal Music and has since released several projects. But while Krystal seems to have found purpose in music, her siblings chose other paths.
Per his LinkedIn, Stelen works as a real estate investor and has previously served as director of several businesses, particularly in the hospitality industry. Stelen is currently co-owner of Sellout Crowd, a sports-centered media company. Stelen married his wife Hayley in 2021.
It appears Shelley is also happily married with two kids, though she remains mostly out of the spotlight.