Toby Keith Speaks Out About Cancer Ordeal During PCAs Appearance

Toby Keith has made a rare public appearance, this time to be honored as an icon of country music.

Keith, 62, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2021, after which he took a break from recording new music and performing live, but updated fans about his condition at the People's Choice Country Awards (PCCA) in Nashville on Thursday.

"It's nice to recognize my 30-year career," he told E! News on the red carpet ahead of receiving the award, and added, "It's pretty mind-boggling.

"Those years of pounding those songs out and remembering where you were when each one was conceived, it's amazing."

Speaking of his experience of cancer, Keith said "I've walked some dark hallways," over the past few years.

"I feel pretty good. You know, you have good days and bad days, it's a little bit of a roller coaster but I'm doing a lot better than I was this time last year," Keith said.

Along with accepting the award from his good friend, Blake Shelton, the singer performed his hit, "Don't Let the Old Man In." It marked his second return to the stage since his diagnosis.

Keith also gave a tear-jerking acceptance speech, which he opened with a joke.

"I bet you never thought y'all'd see me in skinny jeans," he joked. "I want to thank the Almighty for allowing me to be here tonight, he's been riding shotgun with me for a little while now.

"I want to thank my beautiful family that's here…Most of all. I want to thank the fans for still allowing us to do what we do. Have a wonderful evening, thank you."

The PCCA announced Keith would be the recipient of the first icon award in August.

"We're overjoyed to honor legendary artist Toby Keith with the first-ever country icon award," Cassandra Tryon, the senior vice president of Entertainment Live Events at NBCUniversal, said in a statement.

"As a talented songwriter and powerhouse performer, Keith has touched the hearts of fans across the globe," Tryon added. "His illustrious career and passion for philanthropy has cemented his place as an icon in country music history."

Keith announced his cancer diagnosis in June 2022 and told fans his doctors had diagnosed him in the fall of 2021.

"I'm feeling pretty good…I'm about another eight weeks from my last scan. So, I expect next time I look for that tumor to be even less," he told The Oklahoman in June.

The singer became a hit in the early 1990s with songs such as, "Should've Been a Cowboy," "How Do You Like Me Now?!," "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)," and "I Love This Bar."

Keith also runs a popular fishing supplies business and dedicates time to raising money for pediatric cancer patients through his Toby Keith Foundation.