Pop sensation Taylor Swift has refrained from making any public statements regarding the passing of country legend Toby Keith, despite the fact that he played a pivotal role in launching her career.
As highlighted by Breitbart News on Tuesday, Toby Keith succumbed to stomach cancer at the age of 62, concluding a lengthy and influential music journey that spanned multiple decades.
A key figure in country music, the towering 6-foot-4 vocalist rose to prominence during the country boom of the 1990s. He cultivated an image centered around his robust, pro-American demeanor and composed songs that resonated with fans. Throughout his musical journey, he engaged in public disputes with fellow celebrities and journalists, often resisting efforts by record executives to smooth out his rugged persona.
Numerous tributes flowed in from various corners of the music industry to honor Toby Keith’s legacy, with artists such as Carrie Underwood, Dolly Parton, and Blake Shelton expressing their condolences. Strangely, at the time of this composition, one notable absence among those paying homage is pop megastar Taylor Swift, who arguably owes the inception of her illustrious career to Keith, as detailed by Breitbart News:
Pop megastar Taylor Swift has also been a big an of Keith. In 2022 she told Nashville’s WSMV that Keith was electric when he walked into a room.
“You’re in the room with him and you can feel it. There’s a power there, and you’re just like ‘Oh my God,’” Swift said of Keith. “I don’t think I’ll ever get to a point where I won’t see him and be like, ‘Oh my God, that’s Toby Keith!’”
Swift has a good reason to feel kindly towards Keith as he was also a key person who helped launch her career as a top man with Show Dog Nashville records and Big Machine Records, the latter which was Swifts’ former label, the New York Post wrote.
While it was DreamWorks executive Scott Borchetta who first signed Swift with Big Machine, Keith was a key member of the team that helped get her career on the road.
Rest In Peace Toby Keith. He loved the USA. Here's Taylor Swift talking about him in her 1st TV interview. pic.twitter.com/lVJ6vYqpM8
— Dan (@Dan2039612) February 6, 2024
