Billy Ray Cyrus is glad about his new album, The Hill, which is his first LP in 14 years. He is also reportedly in a stable, joyful relationship with Elizabeth Hurley. However, the "Achy Breaky Heart" singer is also looking back at some perilous health issues he weathered. Fortunately, he got past them, but it was not easy. Cyrus says he endured vocal paralysis two years ago, and had sepsis, a potentially fatal condition that can arise from an infection. It landed him in a hospital.
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Cyrus, 64, frankly shared with People, "I don't know exactly how it evolved. It was my worst nightmare. Two years before that, my mom had died in that hospital, in the very floor that I was on." She passed away four years ago.
It sounds like a mighty close call for the popular crooner. He said that doctors even advised him at the time to put his "affairs in order" in case things took a turn for the worst. Happily, Cyrus rallied and got better. Today, he is filled with gratitude and appreciation. "I had a prayer answered. That's a miracle."
Vocal Problems Could Have Derailed Cyrus's Career
Billy Ray Cyrus worried that he might not be able to sing anymore after experiencing vocal paralysis. Nevertheless, this guy is no quitter. He hung in there, crediting a song by his daughter Noah with giving him the fortitude to keep going. "Noah's got that one song, 'Don't Put It All on Me,' that honestly saved my life." That song was a real family affair. It was co-penned by Cyrus's son, Braison, Noah Cyrus, and Ben Cramer.
He touchingly says that he also found strength from his young grandson, Bear. Cyrus observed to the outlet, "In this very broken moment of my life, my little grandson Bear looked at me and said, 'Try again.' 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."
Elizabeth Hurley Also Helped Cyrus Survive the Crisis
Cyrus says that Hurley patiently urged him on when things were feeling bleak. Per the outlet, he said, "Elizabeth would say to me, 'Do you understand your voice is coming back?' 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?"
Luckily for Billy Ray Cyrus and his countless devoted fans, that marvelous voice of his did return. He exulted to People, "I'm singing— I've been singing every day. I feel so good about my voice. This might be one of the better moments."
