Being a famous country singer, of course, doesn’t make anyone immune to hard times. The difference is, they often have to go through their pain in the public eye. These four country artists suffered terrible setbacks, coming back even stronger in the end.
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Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire suffered an unimaginable tragedy when she lost seven members of her band, plus her tour manager, in a plane crash in 1991. McEntire had just performed a private show for IBM executives in San Diego, California. Her band and manager were flying back on an earlier plane, while McEntire was flying out later.
Her then-husband, Narvel Blackstock, took the call and had to deliver the news to McEntire. She later admits she considered walking away from country music entirely.
“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to continue,” McEntire tells People. “But it showed me how precious life is, and by the grace of God and my faith, I realized that they went on to a better place.”
Later that year, McEntire released For My Broken Heart, in tribute to the eight who were killed.
Mark Chesnutt
Mark Chesnutt’s alcohol addiction almost killed him. Chesnutt endured back surgery and quadruple bypass heart surgery, while also battling alcoholism.
“I drank all day, every day,” Chesnutt tells American Songwriter. “I’d get up in the middle of the night and drink. I’d never stop.”
It was another trip to the hospital when doctors gave him an ultimatum. It’s what Chesnutt now says saved his life.
“I was bleeding out from my inside,” the “Brother Jukebox” singer recalls. “They basically told me they were gonna get me over this, and I was going to be fine, and they could fix everything wrong with me. But if they discharged me and I went home and started drinking again, I’d be back in a matter of days, and I might not leave alive. I had to quit drinking or die.”
Hank Williams Jr.
In 1975, Hank Williams Jr. fell more than 500 feet while mountain climbing in Montana. Williams miraculously lived, but he endured nine surgeries over the span of two years while he was recovering.
Williams, who says he remained conscious throughout the entire fall, later recalls his first visitors while in the hospital.
“When I fell, there were only two people I saw when I woke up in the hospital bed, and that was Johnny and June,” Williams tells Rolling Stone.
Williams went on to release dozens of albums and enjoy numerous hit singles, including his multi-platinum single, “A Country Boy Can Survive”, out in 1992.
Ingrid Andress
It’s one thing to have a bad performance, especially singing a song as challenging as the national anthem. It’s another thing to acknowledge the reason behind the poor performance and immediately address the issue, which is exactly what Ingrid Andress did.
In 2024, Andress sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the MLB All-Star Game. As her performance went viral for all the wrong reasons, with some artists defending her, Andress immediately checked herself into rehab.
“I’m checking myself into a facility today to get the help I need,” Andress shared on social media. “That was not me last night. I apologize to MLB, all the fans, and this country I love so much for that rendition.”
Andress completed rehab, emerging stronger as a result.
“Once you know why you do something, it gives you your power back,” Andress tells Billboard. “You realize you have a choice. And you don’t have to use substances or items or whatever to numb yourself. Since then, I’ve been looking at everything so differently, and I’m present and clear-headed.”
She also performed a better version of the national anthem earlier this year at a hockey game.
Photo via Getty Images
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