The Heartbreaking Confession Toby Keith Made To NFL Pal Brett Favre Before His Death

After country music superstar Toby Keith passed away in February 2024, many of his friends and fans shared kind words about him — including Brett Favre, a former NFL player who primarily played for the Green Bay Packers during his professional career. While speaking with TMZ, Favre gave some insight into Keith's condition in the weeks leading up to his passing.

The athlete told the outlet how he was a fan of Keith's music before they met in the mid-90s when Keith played a concert close to the Packers' Lambeau Field. At the time, they became friends and stayed friends up until Keith's death. Favre said he had spoken with Keith just weeks prior to his death because, "You know, about every three months, I would check in on him knowing that he had stomach cancer and that he, you know, he was fighting that."

Favre contacted Keith after seeing photos of him on Instagram following concerts in Las Vegas, where the "Should've Been a Cowboy" singer didn't look well. While checking in with Keith, Favre said, "'Great to see you're back up and playing, and I'm hoping that you're turning a corner.' And [Keith] said, 'I quit chemo, and you know, it probably did more damage to me than the cancer did.'" The heartbreaking confession continued when Keith added, "'I'm just hoping I didn't quit it too late.'"

While speaking with TMZ, Brett Favre said he felt that Toby Keith "was just tired" by the end of his life. Keith seemed to confirm that when they spoke a few weeks prior. "He said, 'Brett ... whatever happens, I'm okay with it,'" Favre said. The former NFL player also commended Keith for his tenacity during his cancer battle: "He handled it with grace and faith and family and stood up to cancer about as good as you can."

Something you may not have known about Keith is that he loved to golf, and he and Favre played together. Favre reminisced about how enjoyable it was to play golf with the "I Love This Bar" singer. He mentioned how they got to play with professional golfer Phil Mickelson once, and more recently than that, they played nine holes with professional golfers Andy North and Jack Nicklaus. Favre said, "Again, I couldn't tell you if [Keith] hit a good or bad shot, but he was a lot of fun to play with. Toby was just, he was an entertainer. He was the best."

Following Keith's death, Favre took to Instagram to share a tribute to his friend. The photo was of the two men on a golf green and was captioned, "RIP to my friend Toby. Love you and will miss you brother!!"