Kid Rock Offers Heartfelt Tribute To Toby Keith

Kid Rock is going to miss his good friend Toby Keith.

The country music icon passed away Monday night at the age of 62 after a battle with cancer, and the situation has been a punch to the gut for millions of fans.

Keith was a major figure in country music and the culture surrounding it for decades. He was a proud patriot and had a larger-than-life personality.

Now, he's gone far too soon, and Kid Rock shared some powerful comments about a man he considered a close friend.

Toby Keith died at the age of 62 after battling cancer. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

Kid Rock remembers Toby Keith.

"He was such an incredible talent, and he loved his family like he loved his country. And we should not forget what a fun guy he was. I was thinking just when I heard the news 30 minutes ago, memories started going through my head of all the award shows and after-parties, whether it was in the back of Losers picking guitars or we were at a golf tournament or out in Los Angeles. So many different spots throughout the years. He was just a great, great guy. We called him Big Dog. He was a large man," the rock star told Fox News early Tuesday morning while reacting to the death.

Kid Rock also gave Toby Keith major props for his love of the United States military and the brave men and women who wear the uniform. Keith was famous for going overseas to entertain the troops.

"We used to joke about who went over there more because me and him definitely have tens, if not 20 times, that we had been there. Spending Christmas and Thanksgiving, just whenever we were called we went to do it," Kid Rock added. 

Kid Rock remembers Toby Keith. (Photo by Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage)

Toby Keith lived an incredible life.

There have been countless reactions and tributes flooding social media since the tragic news broke Tuesday morning. Toby Keith wasn't just a country music singer.

He was a country music legend and icon. He loved the USA, never apologized for it and routinely supported the troops, as Kid Rock pointed out. 

However, it's one thing to hear fans on social media talk about Keith - and there are many powerful examples -and then hearing from a close friend of his.

You can tell he's struggling with the tragic death of his friend, and it's not hard to understand why. Cancer is a brutal disease that doesn't discriminate in the pain and carnage it causes. It changes lives in the worst of ways, and it's now taken away an all-time great entertainer.

Rest easy, Toby Keith, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this tragic time. Let me know your favorite memories of him at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.