Toby Keith haters react with glee over his cancer death — and send their love to the Dixie Chicks

Upon hearing the news that country music star Toby Keith died Monday night after a lengthy battle with stomach cancer, comments gleeful about his passing appeared on social media — coupled with loving shout-outs to country music outfit the Dixie Chicks (now known as "the Chicks").

Keith haters apparently are still smarting two decades after a headline-grabbing feud between the two camps — which mirrored a growing rift in America between leftists and conservatives — involving 9/11, the Iraq War, and then-President George W. Bush. What's more, who paying attention back then can forget the T-shirt Natalie Maines wore onstage emblazoned with a not-so-subtle message directed at Keith?

What have Keith haters been saying?

Keith haters have been leveling stunning vitriol against him on social media following the announcement of his death while pouring love upon the Dixie Chicks — so much so that "Dixie Chicks" was trending on X Tuesday morning.

Content warning: Language:

Here are more examples:

What's the background?

The feud between Keith and the Dixie Chicks began with Maines' reaction to Keith's famous 2002 song, "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)," according to Wide Open Country. Released after the death of Keith's veteran father and the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the song includes the iconic promise to enemies of the U.S.: "We'll put a boot in your ass, it's the American way."

"I hate it," Maines told the Los Angeles Times in 2002 regarding Keith's tune, according to Wide Open Country. "It's ignorant, and it makes country music sound ignorant. It targets an entire culture — and not just the bad people who did bad things. You've got to have some tact. Anybody can write, 'We'll put a boot in your a—.' ..."

Then came Maines' comment during a March 2003 concert in London, England, after the U.S. invaded Iraq: "Just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas," Wide Open Country noted.

The outlet added that Maines' commentary led to a huge backlash against the Dixie Chicks, as country radio stations banned their music, and the group ducked out of the spotlight.

Keith then displayed a fake photo of Maines next to Saddam Hussein at his concerts, Wide Open Country said, adding that Maines punched back with her "F.U.T.K." shirt at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Here's video of Maines and others discussing her wearing the infamous shirt and acknowledging that it means "F*** you, Toby Keith." Content warning: Language:

Anything else?

Not long afterward in 2003, Keith said he was done battling Maines and the Dixie Chicks after a friend's child went through a cancer battle, Wide Open Country said: "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.'"

The Dixie Chicks returned in 2006 with their single "Not Ready to Make Nice" from their "Taking the Long Way" album, Wide Open Country said, which addressed the backlash against them — but the outlet added that it didn't directly address the feud with Keith.

There was no mention of Keith's passing on the Chicks' X page as of Tuesday morning.

This story has been updated.

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