Country music singer Toby Keith died on Monday after battling stomach cancer—but many fans of the Chicks (formerly Dixie Chicks) are far from mourning his passing on social media.
“So Toby Keith passed away? Yeah imma be quiet,” wrote one user on X. “I hope The Dixie Chicks on the other hand have a lovely day. Those that know, know.”
The posts from Chicks fans reference a feud the singer had with the band over his song “Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue,” as well as comments made about President George W. Bush during a concert in 2003.
Keith, known for his patriotic views, described himself as a conservative Democrat and later as an independent, but was a vocal supporter of U.S. wars in response to 9/11.
The feud was triggered by Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines calling Keith’s song, which he wrote in honor of his late father who served in the Korean War, “ignorant.” That comment, along with Maines’ remark the band was ashamed to be from the same state (Texas) as Bush and did not support the invasion of Iraq, prompted Keith to display a fake image of Maines and Saddam Hussein together at his performance.
Maines’ comments on Bush prompted the band to be inundated with death threats, including one so credible the Federal Bureau of Investigation recommended they cancel a Dallas show (the band did not).
While Keith was far from the only person to criticize Maine’s remark—Bill O’Reilly described the band as “callow, foolish women who deserve to be slapped around”—some people argued online that Keith was responsible for most of the harassment the Chicks faced.
“With the news of Toby Keith’s death let me remind yall he was the driving force behind the harassment of the Dixie Chicks so it’s still FUTK here,” wrote one person, referencing the shirt Maines wore at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2003 bashing Keith.
“I remember when he threatened to kill the Dixie Chicks for not wanting to eviscerate random Muslims in Iraq,” wrote someone else. “That’s my memories of the ignorant bully Toby Keith.”
The reaction to the news of his passing by some Chicks fans drew a wave of condemnation from conservatives and fans of Keith alike.
“F*%K the Dixie Chicks! RIP TOBY KEITH,” wrote one user.
Despite social media fans resurrecting the feud, Keith said he was over it in late 2003 after a friend of his lost his two-year-old daughter to cancer.
“A few days after I found she didn’t have long to live, I saw a picture on the cover of COUNTRY WEEKLY with a picture of me and Natalie and it said, ‘Fight to the Death’ or something. It seemed so insignificant. I said, ‘Enough is enough,’” Keith said, though he went on to argue that the Chicks “started it with me; they came out and just tore me up.”
