Toby Keith and His Wife Tricia Were Married for 40 Years Prior to His Death

As country fans continue to process the news that Toby Keith, one of the genre's biggest stars of the 21st century, has died, many also want to learn more about his family life. Toby prided himself on having a loving family and on keeping that family life relatively private despite his megastardom.

Many fans want to learn more about Toby's wife. As it turns out, he was married to the same woman throughout most of his career. Here's what we know about Toby's relationship with his wife, Tricia.

Toby has been married to his wife, Tricia Lucus, since 1984. She and Toby met at a bar where he frequently played.

“I was 19 and he was 20,” she explained to People in 2001. “He was just one of those larger-than-life guys, full of confidence.”

They dated for three years before they got married, and Toby adopted Tricia's daughter, Shelley Covel Rowland, from a previous relationship.

Toby was initially working in an oil field and only played music as a side hobby, but when the oil fields went belly up, he started concentrating on music full time.

"Dozens of people told Tricia, 'You need to go tell your old man to get a real job,'" Toby said. "It took a strong-hearted and loving woman to say, 'He’s good enough at music that I’ve got to let him try. And it’ll be a great shot for both of us if he can make it work.'"

Things were tough during those early years, and Tricia juggled creditors and raising children while her husband booked regional shows and slowly made a name for himself in the music world. Of course, all of that struggle ultimately paid off, and Toby became one of the most successful country acts of the past 20 years.

In 1991, Tricia said that Toby regularly found ways to make her feel special.

“Most people think he is just the most romantic person on the planet,” she shared. “He has his moments of charm. It is nice to get a bouquet of flowers, but I’ve told him, ‘Save the money. Roses die in five to seven days. Buy me an outfit or take me to dinner.’”

In addition to supporting her husband, Tricia also spent much of her free time in philanthropy. Even before her husband's cancer diagnosis, she was devoted to helping families with children who had been diagnosed with cancer through the Toby Keith Foundation.

For his part, Toby said that as much as he loved his career, what he loved most was the chance to spend time with his family. Fortunately, it seems like he got the chance to spend plenty of time doing exactly that.

“I absolutely love performing and writing songs, but being at home with my wife, Tricia, and my three kids is the best feeling of all," he said.