Toby Keith’s Wife of Almost 40 Years ‘Took Control’ of His Cancer Treatment: ‘She’s the Best Nurse’

Toby Keith’s wife of almost 40 years, Tricia Lucus, was a great support amid his stomach cancer diagnosis.

While speaking in an interview that aired just weeks before Keith’s family confirmed that he had “passed peacefully” at age 62 on Monday night. he praised his wife Lucus, 61, for how she’d handled the cancer diagnosis.

“She’s been a trouper. She’s the best nurse,” the “Red Solo Cup” hitmaker told News 9’s Robin Marsh in a one-on-one interview. “The first time we went to Houston, to the hospital, she stepped right in and she just took control and said, ‘We got this. Let’s go.'”

Keith added: “So she’s like, ‘We’re going to get this and don’t worry about it.'”

He was diagnosed with stomach cancer in the fall of 2021, before he revealed the news in June 2022.

At the time, the country icon said he’d already received six months of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.

Keith and Lucus met shortly after he graduated from high school. At the time, he was working in the oil fields and playing bars at night.

The pair dated for three years before getting married in March 1984.

Keith adopted Lucas’ first daughter, Shelley, now 43. The couple then welcomed their first child together, Krystal, 38, in September 1985 and had a third child, a son named Stelen, 26, in April 1997.

Back in 1991, Lucus told PEOPLE that the singer-songwriter always made an effort 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 2010, Keith told PEOPLE that he loved spending time at home with his wife and kids.

“Everybody in the family is good,” the country singer told PEOPLE at the time. “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,” he added.