Copyright Parade
Country music legend Clay Walker shared a health update after a “rough patch” with his multiple sclerosis forced him to cancel a concert this summer. During an interview with People published on Nov. 7, the “What’s It to You” crooner, 56, opened up about his MS, admitting that he’s “definitely going through a rough patch right now.” 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 “Does it bother me that people have to watch me struggle to get offstage? Yes it does,” Walker told the publication. The singer explained that he underwent surgery in March to implant a baclofen pump to reduce muscle stiffness by delivering a muscle relaxant into his spinal fluid. However, recovery has been difficult.” “The surgery gave me a lot of hope, but so far, you know, it’s not great,” Walker admitted. “It hasn’t done what I wanted it to. Balance has been an issue lately.” Physical therapy has helped him make progress — and although he’s not walking “perfectly,” things are getting “better.” “I got on a treadmill the other day without a harness holding me up to keep me from falling, and I walked five minutes,” he told People. Still, compared to his initial MS prognosis, Walker said he’s doing great. “I was told that I wouldn’t be around very long and that I’d be in a wheelchair and that I would be dead pretty quickly because of the amount of lesions I had on my spinal cord and brainstem and brain,” he said. “We turned everything upside down,” Walker said of marking 30 years since his diagnosis in 2026. “We already won the battle, you know? We’ve got that to celebrate.” In June, Walker was forced to cancel a concert in Arkansas for health reasons. “Dear friends & country music fans, I recently had a procedure that could really help my MS… unfortunately I’ve got some side effects that have left me unable to perform tonight at Timberwood Amphitheater in Hot Springs, Arkansas,” he announced via Instagram. “He continued, I really tried my best to pull through for you all, which is why I waited until this morning to make this call. I look forward to returning to Arkansas soon, and I’m bummed to miss you all tonight. We will see everyone back out on the road soon!”
