Clint Eastwood Shares Heartbroken Reaction to Toby Keith’s Death

Clint Eastwood is one of the many fans, friends and colleagues who turned to social media to remember Toby Keith after the news of his death broke on Tuesday (Feb. 6).

The 93-year-old actor writes that he's "extremely saddened" by Keith's death at the age of 62.

Keith died on Monday (Feb. 5) after a two-year battle with stomach cancer. His family broke the news in a post to social media on Tuesday morning, writing, "Toby Keith passed away peacefully last night on February 5th, surrounded by his family. He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time."

Eastwood and Keith were longtime friends, and the actor shared his own thoughts on Keith's death, writing, "Extremely Saddened by the passing of Toby Keith, Rest in peace my friend... "

Eastwood helped inspire a song that would stand as one of Keith's final career triumphs. Keith wrote "Don't Let the Old Man In" after a conversation with Eastwood, after Keith asked the filmmaker how he kept his work and personal lives so active at his age.

"I don't let the old man in," Eastwood replied.

RELATED: Toby Keith's Top 20 Songs Prove He's a Country Icon

"Don't Let the Old Man In" appeared in Eastwood's 2018 film The Mule, but it was never a radio single. In November of 2023, Keith returned to the stage for what turned out to be the final television performance of his life, delivering a powerful, emotional version of "Don't Let the Old Man In" at the 2023 People's Choice Country Awards that had the audience in tears.

The overwhelming reaction convinced Keith to release the song as a single. It went on to top the iTunes charts, and Keith subsequently announced a string of three shows in Las Vegas, which turned out to be the final live shows of his life.