Willie Nelson Trends Following Toby Keith’s Death as Fans Check in on Country Star

Toby Keith passed away last night (February 5). Many people believe that deaths come in threes. As a result, countless country music fans flocked to Twitter this morning to check on Willie Nelson. Nelson turned 90 years old last April. So, fans worry that Nelson doesn’t have much time left on earth. Fortunately, the Red-Headed Stranger is still alive and kicking.

This is far from the first time that fans have worried about Nelson’s death. He has been the center of several online death hoaxes. It’s hard to say how many times the internet at large has pronounced him dead. However, enough of those hoaxes popped up to make him write a song about it. He included “Still Not Dead,” a song he co-wrote with Buddy Cannon on his 2017 album God’s Problem Child. The track pokes fun at the hoaxes.

Fans Check Social Media for Willie Nelson News

Many fans took to Twitter to make sure Nelson was still alive. Then, they shared their thoughts on the matter. As a result, his name started trending. This led even more people to check up on Nelson’s wellbeing.

“Y’all cannot by making Willie Nelson trend this early in the morning! Y’all gave me a heart attack,” one fan tweeted.

These tweets sum up the feelings of those seeing Nelson’s name trending before and after they see what’s going on.

Nelson and Toby Keith

Nelson and Keith weren’t constant collaborators. However, when they worked together it was memorable. For instance, Nelson appeared on “Beer for My Horses” with Keith.

The Oklahoma native co-penned the song with Scotty Emerick and released it as the fourth single from his 2002 album Unleashed. However, that wasn’t the end of the road for “Beer for My Horses.” Keith co-wrote a movie of the same name with comedian Rodney Carrington. He also starred in the movie. Nelson, David Allen Coe, Ted Nugent, and Carrington also made appearances in the movie.

Then, there was Keith’s song “Weed with Willie” which told a hilarious story about sharing a doobie with the outlaw country legend. Keith included the song on his 2003 album Shock’n Y’all. He wrote the song with Emerick about a wild evening they had with Nelson after bringing him the “Beer for My Horses.”

In short, Keith’s legacy, much like Nelson, will outlive most of his fans.

Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images