Tricia Lucus, the wife of country music singer Toby Keith, has remained by his side through the ups and downs of their life together for the past three decades. She continues to be his rock in spite of all that has transpired in that time. In addition to dealing with health problems, he had trouble breaking into the industry before he became an established figure.
1979 was the year of the singer-graduation songwriters from Moore High School. After that, he started working in the oil field and eventually earned a salary of $50,000 a year for his efforts.
Keith had already demonstrated his passion for music by that point in time. As a young adult, he taught himself how to play the guitar and wrote songs that he composed on his own. The up-and-coming star of country music divulged that before he finally wrote a song that became successful, he had to compose between “200 and 300 tracks.”
As a music hustler, Keith would spend his free time performing with his band Easy Money at various pubs in the area. During this time, he was performing at a number of different clubs, and it was at one of these venues that he first met the woman who would become his wife, Tricia Lucus. That night, the couple danced together on the same dance floor, and not long after that, they started dating.
Lucus, who was nineteen years old and worked as a secretary for an oil business, told People in June 2001 what attracted her to her future husband, who was twenty years old at the time:
“He was one of those larger-than-life individuals who were full of confidence,” said his friends.
Before being married on March 24, 1984, Lucus and Keith had been seeing one other for a total of three years during their courtship. Lucus was already a mother when she gave birth to her daughter Shelley in 1980; she did so during a prior relationship, and Keith would go on to adopt Lucus’s kid and raise her as his own in the years that followed.
By the time that the couple was married, Keith’s company was already bankrupt, and he had already turned his attention to music. The musician, who was born and raised in Oklahoma, began playing music professionally with his band at the same time as he was juggling a variety of other responsibilities, such as tending to his family and managing his finances at home.
Despite the fact that Keith was having trouble making ends meet, it did not appear to dampen his spirit. In point of fact, Lucus noted that he frequently assured her that he would achieve great success in the future:
“He would tell Trish, “One of these days, my time is coming.” (My time will come.) Maintain your composure.”
Creditors were unrelenting in their pursuit of the couple to get their financial house in shape, and the pair was forced to contend with those creditors. In the meantime, Lucus was forced to listen to the criticism of other individuals, who would encourage her to persuade Keith to find “a real job.” They laughed at his dreams of becoming a musician, but he did not let their negative attitudes prevent him from pursuing his goals.
The musician who is most known for his song “As Good as I Once Was” stated that he considered it a blessing that his wife was able to shield him from the noise of the outside world and that she had faith that he would eventually achieve success with his music career:
“It required a woman with a courageous spirit and a caring relationship with him to finally tell me, ‘He’s excellent enough at his music that I’ve got to let him try.'”
Lucus was confident that she and Keith would come out ahead in the long term as a result of their patience, which paid off a few years later. Forbes made an estimate in June 2013 regarding how much money the record producer had accumulated over the previous five years prior to that year. According to the publication, Keith’s annual earnings have never been lower than $48 million, and between 2012 and 2013, he brought in a total of $270 million.
Throughout his career, Keith has written country songs that have reached number one on the charts on an annual basis for the past twenty years. It is estimated that he amassed a net worth of more than $500 million, making him one of the wealthiest and most successful country singers in the history of the genre.
When Keith’s first single, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” was played on the radio for the first time in 1993, it immediately became a smash and quickly climbed to the top of the charts. This marked the beginning of Keith’s career as a successful recording artist. The song eventually became the country tune that was played the most in the 1990s.
In light of this, the issue of money was no longer a contentious one for Keith and Lucus as they continued to be together despite the rapid ascent of his stardom. Soon after they were married, in 1985, they were blessed with their first child together, a daughter named Krystal. Years and years later, in 1997, their son Stelen entered the world.
During this time, Keith’s professional life was moving forward at a rapid pace, and he was consistently honored for his efforts during the course of his career. He signed endorsement deals worth many millions of dollars, established a brand of whiskey, and opened a restaurant chain under the name Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill.
Keith and his family continue to live a quiet life in Oklahoma, which they have always called home. It has been said that he is the owner of forty Thoroughbred racehorses and a farm that spans sixty acres on the outskirts of Oklahoma City. In addition to that, he constructed for his wife and children a home that was 8,500 square feet in size.
Keith maintains a humble attitude and places his marriage and the well-being of his loved ones above all else, despite all of his success. He stated that simply being in their presence is worth more than anything else because nothing else is comparable:
“Even though I enjoy being on stage and writing songs, nothing beats the pleasure I get when I’m at home with my wife, Tricia, and our three children,” he says.
The Hollywood actor was reveling in the success of his career when he received the heartbreaking news that he had stomach cancer. The disease was identified as being present in Keith during the autumn of 2021.
During this difficult time in his life, he continues to count on his family, who is there for him and provide support. The celebrity father of three broke the news to his devoted followers in June 2022 that he would be withdrawing from the public eye in order to receive treatment with chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.
Recently, despite the challenges he is facing with his health, he has voiced optimism while adding that he needs time to “rest up” and recover. Even though Keith’s condition has left him physically weak, he believes there is “something positive” to look forward to during the healing process. This is provided, of course, that everything goes according to plan during the process.
The artist known for his hit song “Trailerhood” stated that he had undergone chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery over the course of the previous six months and that everything was going according to plan.
He went on to say that despite the fact that he was going to spend more time with his family, he was looking forward to meeting his fans and that it was possible that this may happen “sooner” than was originally anticipated.
In a message on Instagram, Keith expressed his gratitude to all of his devoted followers and called them “the finest.” He said, “I am grateful to each and every one of you for your love and support. I am fortunate to have the most devoted admirers on the planet.”