Billy Ray Cyrus recalls sepsis health scare − 'My worst nightmare'
Billy Ray Cyrus recalls sepsis health scare − 'My worst nightmare'
Edward Segarra, USA TODAYWed, June 10, 2026 at 9:07 PM UTC
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Billy Ray Cyrus' return to music is more than just a Hollywood comeback — it's a second chance at life.
The country music icon, who's gearing up for the release of his first new album in seven years, opened up about overcoming his recent health struggles in an interview with People magazine published Wednesday, June 10.
The "Achy Breaky Heart" singer, 64, was diagnosed with a case of vocal paralysis in 2024 following a near-fatal bout of sepsis that landed him in the hospital.
"I don't know exactly how it evolved. It was my worst nightmare," Cyrus told the outlet. "Two years before that, my mom had died in that hospital, in the very floor that I was on."
Billy Ray Cyrus poses inside the winners room at the 2026 Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on April 12, 2026.
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when a person's immune system responds improperly to an infection, causing it to harm healthy tissues and organs, according to Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic.
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If not treated immediately, the illness can lead to organ failure or death, Cleveland Clinic notes. Dr. James Morrison, the clinic's enterprise sepsis steering committee chair, previously told USA TODAY that sepsis is the "leading cause of in-hospital death."
Cyrus said his entire body became "swollen," and at one point, he was instructed by his medical team to get his "affairs in order." But the Grammy-winning singer said he later made a full recovery, describing the health turnaround as "a miracle."
Cyrus, father of pop singers Miley and Noah Cyrus, credited his family with helping him through his recovery.
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"In this very broken moment of my life, my little grandson Bear [son of Braison Cyrus] looked at me and said, 'Try again,'" Cyrus recalled. "And up until that moment, he had never spoken to me at all. I wasn't even sure if he knew my name.
"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."
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The singer-songwriter also gave a shout-out to his girlfriend, actress and model Elizabeth Hurley, for fueling his musical recovery. Cyrus, who was previously married to Tish Cyrus and Firerose, revealed his romance with Hurley in April 2025.
"Elizabeth would say to me, 'Do you understand your voice is coming back?'" Cyrus said. "She encouraged me to the point where she had me do 'The Masked Singer.' And she said, 'You need to do it to challenge yourself.' And I thought, 'God, why is she so smart?'"
Cyrus' new album, "The Hill," is set to be released on June 16.
"I'm singing — I've been singing every day. I feel so good about my voice," Cyrus said. "This might be one of the better moments."
Contributing: Sara Moniuszko and Daryl Austin, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Billy Ray Cyrus details sepsis battle, praises Hurley's support
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
