They say behind every great man is a great woman. The late Toby Keith always turned to his wife Tricia Lucus for strength and support. They celebrated a marriage of nearly 40 years.
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Keith first met Lucus while at a bar. Keith worked for a country-rock band called Easy Money Band, and he regularly played bars for gigs. Meanwhile, Lucus worked as an oil company secretary.
Lucus immediately felt Keith was larger than life. He had a certain swagger about him, but he always tried to make her feel like she was the most special person in the room.
“I was 19 and he was 20,” she told People. “He was just one of those larger-than-life guys, full of confidence.”
She continued, “Most people think he is just the most romantic person on the planet. 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.’”
Three years of dating turned into a marriage in 1984. Keith adopted Lucus’s eldest daughter Sheley Covel Rowland as his own. Likewise, the couple had two more children — Krystal in 1985 and Stelen in 1997.
Toby Keith Married Love of His Life
Those early years were stressful. As Keith told it, “The oil fields went bust. I started concentrating on my music.” Keith put more into his music while the two tried to balance the bills at home and raise their growing family.
“Dozens of people told Tricia, ‘You need to go tell your old man to get a real job,’ ” Keith told Country Weekly, via The Boot. “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.’ ”
Family proved to be the source of strength for Keith’s career. “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.
Even in the end, Keith valued his family more than anything. He was proud of his marriage to Tricia and his three children.
“Everybody in the family is good,” the musician told People. “I was raised by good parents. And I have great kids. They don’t have any issues at all — none. They all grew up with me being successful. But they are not hooked on that part of the business.”
[Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for Swingdish]
