Billy Ray Cyrus has revealed that he suffered temporary vocal paralysis after suffering from a battle with near-fatal sepsis just two years ago
Billy Ray Cyrus has opened up about his battle with sepsis(Image: Getty Images)
Billy Ray Cyrus was left with temporary vocal paralysis while battling sepsis. The legendary hitmaker, who is preparing to release his forthcoming album, The Hill, next week, suffered from the condition in 2024.
Reflecting on his battle with ill health, the musician, 64, says a “miracle” made him recover. In a candid new interview, the Achy Brakey Heart hitmaker didn’t disclose too much about his health scare but said it was a “very broken moment” of his life.
However, it was his five-year-old grandson, Bear, the son of Braison Cyrus, who helped Billy Ray navigate the challenging time he faced. His young grandson looked at the singer and said: “Try again”.
“And up until that moment, he had never spoken to me at all,” Billy Ray told People magazine. He went on to explain that he wasn’t sure that, at that point, Bear even knew his name.
He continued: “In that moment, I thought, ‘He’s telling you something.’ Is it about love? Music? Somehow, I got to try again at both. So I’m learning to try again.”
Billy Ray’s brush with sepsis came two years after he and his wife, Tish, filed for divorce after almost three decades of marriage. Not long after, he married fellow singer Firerose, but their relationship broke down in 2024 due to irreconcilable differences.
A year later, he met The Royals star Elizabeth Hurley and the pair have since been inseparable, with Billy Ray joining the actress at the National Television Awards last year. And it was through his relationship with Elizabeth that Billy left Tennessee for the first time in five years.
This, he says, was the “craziest thing” he’s ever done. Having spent almost four decades in the music industry, Billy says he believed he would be preparing to slow down and retire. But in reality, he’s continuing to thrive and has no plans to slow down any time soon.
“I finally found this wonderful place where I’m happy,” he said. However, there was a period when he hadn’t worked for a substantial amount of time following the pandemic and the breakdown of his marriage to Tish.
Billy said in the interview that he realised he’s a “working man” and needed to be careful what he asked for. Elsewhere, reflecting on his new lease of life, the singer said that while change is “scary”, he will continue to do the “wrong thing” out of fear of change.
However, when he finally gets the courage to commit to a project, there will be no looking back for the legendary musician. Now, he’s the “most sober person in the world“. Prior to 1992, Billy says he “drank a lot”, but after years of rejections and later signing a recording contract, he realised that he needed to stop drinking.
Nowadays, he’s found harmony with his children, and although he acknowledges he will never take home the “parent of the year” award, he will always take pride in his children.
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