Brett Favre And Toby Keith Had A Tight-Knit Friendship
Brett Favre and the late Toby Keith may not be two of the first stars you think of when you think of super close celebrity friends. But, just like Clint Eastwood and Toby Keith, it turns out that this quarterback and country star actually really did have quite the close friendship.
Favre spoke to TMZ Sports about a touching conversation he had with his late friend Keith mere days before he died following his tragic stomach cancer diagnosis. "I think in the end he was just tired. He did say that to me when we had our conversation, he said, 'Brett... whatever happens, I'm okay with it,'" Favre touchingly recalled, noting he would call Keith every three months to see how he was doing. During that same conversation, Keith broke the news to Favre that he'd stopped getting chemotherapy, which he didn't think had a good effect on his body.
The star also had nothing but praise for his late friend. "[Keith] handled [cancer] with grace and faith and family and stood up to the cancer as good as you can," he shared, recalling some of the good times they had golfing together. "I can just remember him smiling, and had everyone hooting and hollering and having a lot of fun," he said. "He was the best." But although these two didn't seem to speak about their friendship in public that often, that wasn't the first time Favre had told the world about their friendship.
Brett Favre inspired fans to share their own tributes to Toby Keith
Brett Favre also made his and Toby Keith's close bond evident on Instagram, shortly after Keith died on February 5. "RIP to my friend Toby. Love you and will miss you brother!!" the football star captioned an upload to mark his friend's passing, which showed the two of them on a golf course. He then followed up that post with another touching Instagram photo, this time sharing a snap of the two smiling alongside Keith's wife and his granddaughter – plus two famous faces. "My last time with Toby was a round of golf with golf greatness Jack Nicklaus and Andy North," Favre shared. "Great memories brother."
The posts inspired some fans to share their own touching memories of the country star in the comments, and some even revealed the sweet way they used Keith's music as a nod to their friendship. "Me and My 5 year old, major NFL fan, listened to the spoof of 'I Love This Bar' but it's sang as 'I Love Brett Favre'. My son says, Toby should change his words. Thought it was kind of a cute nod to him and you!" one fan shared. "Two of my all-time favorites right there," another fan commented, coincidentally sharing that they too would change the lyrics to "I Love This Bar" while singing with their son.
This is a friendship that goes back years
Though it's not clear exactly when Brett Favre and Toby Keith's friendship first began, we do know their relationship stretched back at least as far as 2017. That's when Keith shared that Favre is actually a fan of his music and regularly attended his shows. Teasing his then upcoming gig in Green Bay while speaking to Green Bay Press Gazette, he shared, "Maybe Brett Favre will show up. It seems like every show I've done in Green Bay he's been there, but he retired now, so I don't know if he'll be there or not."
But no matter how or why their relationship started, it definitely seemed like these two seriously loved hitting a few balls when they got together. It was in 2019 when the two appeared alongside Jack Nicklaus and Andy North for a round of golf as part of the American Insurance Championship. The two even shared some banter during a press conference for the game, with Favre stating, "You're playing with Andy and Jack in front of 40 thousand people, it's easy to suck." Keith then jokingly chimed in, "It's easy to suck in front of two people." The two were rivals in the game though, as Favre was partnered with Nicklaus and Keith with North. Touchingly, Keith kept that love of golf to the end. In May 2023, he hosted the annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Tournament, raising $1.8 million for the Toby Keith Foundation.