The country music world has been hit by tragedy this year, with at least 20 performers and celebrities losing their lives.
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Several more stars have recently announced that they are battling serious health issues, but two of them, Mark Chestnut and Colt Ford, are fortunate to be surviving.
Here's a quick look at four country music stars who've been in the news recently for battling serious health issues.
Mark Chesnutt
Mark Chesnutt has had a tough few months, which is probably an understatement, as the country music star nearly lost his life in June.
The 60-year-old man was rushed to the emergency room and underwent quadruple bypass surgery, which sounds serious and is true, and will obviously take some time to recover.
Chestnut seems to be a tough guy and has already returned to social media to speak to his fans.
“Hey guys, the doctors told me I have a new heart implanted!” Chestnut wrote on Instagram earlier this week. “Recovering comfortably at home with my family. Sitting on the porch today enjoying the sun and beautiful Texas weather. But I can't wait to get back to playing guitar and singing with all my beloved fans! Thank you all for your encouragement and prayers. You all stepped up when I was in need and it meant so much. I'm so grateful for you all. See you soon!”
It was a welcome sign for the country star's fans, and it was incredible to see his positive energy so soon after such serious surgery.
The health scare comes just months after Chesnutt was forced to cancel two shows in November, with a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account at the time saying he was “admitted to a local hospital undergoing a medical examination.”
Chesnutt rose to stardom in the early '90s, releasing numerous albums and hit songs, including 20 that reached the top 10 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. Eight of those 20 songs, “Brother Jukebox,” “It Sure Is Monday,” “I'll Think of Something,” “I Just Wanted You to Know,” “Gonna Get a Life,” “Almost Goodbye,” “I Don't Want to Miss a Thing” and “It's a Little Too Late,” all reached No. 1 on the charts.
Colt Ford performs at the Kentucky State Fair on August 21, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Coltford
Colt Ford is feeling better and has been taking some time to reflect on the past few months of his life, and he's clearly emotional about how it's all unfolded.
Can you blame him? After all, he died twice after performing in Arizona in April, only to be resurrected each time.
Either way, Ford has started to appear more consistently on his Instagram account as we move into July, and it's clear he's feeling better.
“As I sit here tonight… I'm so grateful to be alive,” he said in the latest video posted to his account, “and so many of you have been praying for me. I hope that you all feel the love that you've given me all these years that I've been playing.”
“Thank you so much,” he added. “I love you guys.”
This comes after Ford provided an update in June.
“I did a little cardio rehab today,” the singer said in the video.
“Louis, what did you do?” he said, nodding to the dog who was sleeping with him on the sofa. “His tail is wagging. He walked from the bedroom to the sofa. Didn't you, Louis?”
Ford then spoke directly to fans.
“I love you guys,” he said. “I'm trying to get better every day. I'm trying to get back. I miss you guys. Have a great weekend and happy four-game series. I love you guys.”
It was a remarkable comeback for Ford, who collapsed and died twice after performing in Arizona in early April (though of course he was revived each time).
He called into Big D and Bubba's radio show later that month and revealed some of the details of what happened.
“It was a traumatic, crazy experience,” Ford told the hosts. “I didn't even remember coming here to play a show in Phoenix.”
Ford had just returned to his tour bus after performing at Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row bar when he texted his fiancée, “Hey, baby.”
“And then I fell down and died,” he said.
Ford said he was lucky when members of his band came to check on him and found him, and that country music star Brantley Gilbert rushed him to the hospital and ultimately arranged for him to be transferred to another hospital because the one they were in didn't have the proper equipment to treat Ford's heart condition.
“He said, 'I don't care what you do, just take him to another hospital,'” Ford said of Gilbert.
Ford said he died while being transported to another hospital.
“They brought me back,” he said. “They saved my life. The Lord gave me more to do.”
Ford said he actually died twice during the ordeal.
“This definitely happened on the third, but I didn't wake up until the 10th,” he said.
He added that one of the doctors told him he had less than a one percent chance of survival.
“He said, 'You have a 0.1 percent chance of surviving,'” Ford said.
“I suffered a lot of physical and mental trauma,” he said. “I had three stents put in my heart.”
Ford, who has worked closely with Toby Keith, Jamey Johnson and Jason Aldean, has also had his own health problems. Taste of Country magazine reported last year that he was battling the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis.
He was also reported to have had eye cancer and had to undergo surgery three years ago to treat it.
Ford, whose real name is Jason Faris Brown, is a former professional golfer. Since releasing his first album in 2008, he has released eight studio albums, with his latest, “Must Be Country,” due in 2023.
The Mavericks, with lead singer Raul Malo, headlined the 2024 Jazz Festival in downtown Syracuse. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)
Raul Malo
Raul Malo, frontman for the popular country music band The Mavericks, announced in late June that he was battling cancer.
Malo made the revelation in a video shared on the band's Instagram page.
The video begins with Malo thanking everyone for all the love and support he has shown throughout his career so far, especially this year with the release of his new album “Moon and Stars.”
“So I want to give you a little bit of personal news,” he said. “The last few years, being on tour, we've been really focusing on our health, taking care of ourselves a little bit, looking after ourselves a little bit, making sure we're doing all the right things really, nutrition-wise. So part of the health journey is checking yourself up. Go to the doctor, get a checkup and go from there.”
Malo, 58, said he did. “That led me to go back to the gastroenterologist and get a CAT scan,” he said, “and they found two spots of cancer.”
Malo said doctors have agreed to begin treatment after the Fourth of July.
“The reason I'm telling you all this, one of the reasons I'm telling you all this, is because as we get through this and we wait to see what the treatment is, it's possible that some of our shows this year will be affected,” he said.
Malo said doctors have told him his chemotherapy is one of the most manageable treatments they administer.
“And most people are continuing their work and daily activities as if nothing happened,” he said. “So let's pray for the best and hope that's the case.”
Malo said he feels he is “receiving the best care possible.”
“And we're going to do everything in our power to combat this,” he said, “but most importantly, I'm telling you this because I want you to get tested. Go see your doctor. Be proactive about your health. It's going to help you combat any disease.”
“Stay healthy,” he added. “Take care and see you on the road.”
You can see his post here.
Carly Pearce
Carly Pearce announced in late May that she had been diagnosed with a frightening heart condition called pericarditis.
The 34-year-old actress gave a bit more detail about the condition during an appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”
“I thought I was going to die,” she told Clarkson. “I had this huge chest pain. I thought I was having a heart attack…I'm a runner and I was like, 'Oh, my heart is healthy,' and I don't know if that's true.”
She told Clarkson she was still “working through” dealing with the issue. She first announced her diagnosis in an Instagram video in late May.
“I have always been transparent and honest about every part of my life, so I feel it is appropriate to be just as honest this time,” she said. “As many of you know I have been experiencing health issues, which have caused me to develop a heart problem called pericarditis. I have been working with my doctors and speaking with cardiologists, but I still want to be on the road – that is really important to me – but we have all decided that it would be in my best interest to modify the show a little bit while I recover.”
“Right now we have to get our heart rate under control,” Pierce said.
“That doesn't mean it's not totally okay,” she said, “but it just means that we have to take this seriously right now. So if you want to come to the shows, if you want to take part in any of the amazing things that we have going on at Hummingbird, that's fantastic. But we just ask that you be a little bit lenient because things might look a little different.”
She also urged her fans and followers to everyone to value and listen to their bodies.
“I love you guys,” she concludes the video. “See you soon.”
Pericarditis is an inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart, according to the Mayo Clinic.