Toby Keith’s Daughter Krystal Keith Accepts His OU Honorary Degree

The late Toby Keith was honored during the University of Oklahoma’s commencement ceremony on Saturday (May 11), as his daughter Krystal Keith accepted his honorary degree on his behalf.

Keith, who is set to be posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame later this year, died on Feb. 5, 2024, at age 62, following a battle with stomach cancer.

According to a post on Toby Keith’s Instagram page, the singer knew he would be honored by the University of Oklahoma prior to his death. “Toby learned he would be receiving an honorary degree from @uofoklahoma last fall, and yesterday, @krystalkeith accepted it on his behalf at the commencement ceremony,” his account captioned a photo of Krystal at the ceremony. “Congratulations to all of the OU graduates!”

Additionally, University of Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz, Jr. posted on X, “So incredibly grateful to Tricia and Krystal Keith for joining us Saturday to celebrate the impact and legacy of @tobykeith with an honorary degree from @uofoklahoma. Miss you each and every day, TK.”

In February, Krystal posted on Instagram, sharing how she and her sister and brother each studied at the University of Oklahoma, and offered a sweet story of her father’s own lifelong support of the university’s sports teams.

“The @uofoklahoma is a HUGE part of our life,” she wrote. “I love that he is being honored by Sooner Nation. My dad started selling cokes at 12 or 13 yrs old in the stadium so he could see the games live. We have traveled as a family with the teams to bowl games and championships as long as I can remember. Planning weddings, vacations and big life events around team schedules.”