Country music legend rushed to hospital after breaking neck in fall
The music legend has been left recovering after a frightening accident.
Country music icon Ray Stevens has been hospitalised after suffering a shock fall that resulted in a broken neck. The 87-year-old Grammy-winning star was rushed to hospital in Nashville on Sunday following the incident, with his team later confirming the extent of the injury. A statement said he was “briefly hospitalised in the Nashville area.” Doctors have since instructed the singer to wear a neck brace for “approximately four weeks” as he recovers. Despite the severity of the injury, his team insisted he remains in good spirits.
The statement added: “Despite the injury, he remains fully mobile and in good spirits as he continues his recovery.” The country crooner, best known for hits including Everything Is Beautiful and Misty, has since returned home and is continuing to recover. The fall marks the latest in a series of health scares for the country icon. Last summer, Ray was also hospitalised after suffering a heart attack, prompting emergency medical treatment.
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A statement shared at the time confirmed: “Country Music Hall of Fame member Ray Stevens is in recovery after undergoing minimally invasive heart surgery yesterday morning.”
It continued: “After a heart catheterization procedure, it was determined he’d suffered a mild heart attack.” The update reassured fans that the “initial surgery was successful".
Following the procedure, Ray was forced to cancel a number of performances at his CabaRay Showroom in Nashville while he recovered.
At the time, his team provided further updates on his condition, revealing he was already making progress. They said: “Ray is out of ICU and beginning to walk the halls as therapy with a nurse’s assistance as he is working towards recovering from this surgery.”
They added: “Ray is very grateful for all of the cards and get well messages. Everything Is Still Beautiful!!!!” The singer had previously warned fans he would be slowing down his schedule.
In January 2024, he said he planned to “stop performing regularly” at his Nashville venue, though he later returned to the stage in December to promote new material.
Despite his latest injury, Ray’s upcoming album is still set to go ahead. His new record, Favorites Old & New, is scheduled for release on Friday and will feature a mix of classic covers and original songs.
Speaking about the project, Ray said: “I had a lot of fun creating this album Favorites Old & New.”
He added: “It really does contain a few of my favorite old songs as well as favorite new ones penned by some talented writers. I just hope Ray Stevens fans enjoy it as much as Ray Stevens!”
The 13-track album includes well-known standards such as The Look of Love, It Had To Be You and Come Rain or Come Shine, alongside new material.
Ray won two Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
