Toby Keith Just Had His Biggest Song Sales Week Ever

In the aftermath of his death, Toby Keith's music is continuing to reach new heights of listenership. The singer posthumously had the best week of his career on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart last week, according to a report from Forbes.

Keith's "Don't Let the Old Man In" was his best-selling song that week, with 27,000 units sold. It came in at No. 2 on the all-genre chart, bested only by Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car." The chart's dating period included the day of the 2024 Grammy Awards — where Chapman took the stage for the first time in years to perform "Fast Car" with Luke Combs.

But "Don't Let the Old Man In" was just one of a whopping eight Keith tracks that placed on the Digital Song Sales chart. "Should've Been a Cowboy" and "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American)" came in at No. 7 and No. 8, respectively.

"How Do You Like Me Now?!," "As Good as I Once Was," "American Soldier" and "I Love This Bar" all placed on the 25-spot chart, too, as did "Beer for My Horses," a duet between Keith and Willie Nelson.

Keith's music did well posthumously on Billboard's albums chart, too. One week after his death, Keith had the No. 1 album in America with a 15-year-old compilation album called 35 Biggest Hits.

On top of that, he broke history on the Billboard Country Digital Song Sales chart during the week dated Feb. 17. That week, Keith was the first artist ever to claim nine of the 10 spots on the chart, according to a report from the publication. He broke a record previously held by Kenny Rogers, who occupied seven of those 10 slots back in April 2020 — a week that immediately followed Rogers' death.

How Did Toby Keith Die?

Keith died on Feb. 5 after battling stomach cancer for more than two years. He was 62 years old.

After announcing his diagnosis publicly in mid-2022, Keith spent several months out of the spotlight in order to undergo chemotherapy, radiation and surgery as he fought his illness. He returned to the stage for some one-off performances in 2023, and gave his last televised performance at the 2023 People's Choice Country Awards, where he sang a gripping rendition of "Don't Let the Old Man In."

The singer is survived by his wife Tricia Lucas, their three children and several grandchildren and extended family.