In September 2021, country music icon Alan Jackson announced that he had been diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth illness more than ten years earlier in a frank interview with “Today” show host Jenna Bush Hager.
“I suffer from neurological illness and neuropathy. I acquired it genetically from my father. That has been bothering me for years, yet there is no cure for it. And it’s becoming increasingly clear. And I am aware that I am faltering on stage. I’m finding it difficult to balance now, even in front of the microphone, and I just feel really uneasy “He clarified.
The sickness does not have a cure, but according to Jackson, it is not terminal. But, it does make things like getting up on stage and performing lot more tough. The Mayo Clinic states that Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, or CMT for short, damages nerves and is known to result in weakness in the legs.
He was scheduled to play at the 2022 CMA Fest in Nashville, Tennessee, but his presence was postponed, raising concerns about his health among many fans. Will those be the final two times that Jackson performs on stage? Jackson was on tour in 2022 and finished his “Last Call: One More for the Road” tour, with the exception of two shows that had to be postponed.
With songs like “Little Bitty” and “Gone Country,” Alan Jackson quickly rose to the top of the country music market after making his debut in the late 1980s. Yet, Jackson’s life has drastically changed since then.
Alan Jackson spoke briefly about what he has planned for the future despite his health issues on the February 21 episode of the “In Joy Life” podcast, which was hosted by his daughter Mattie Jackson. This may include some new songs.
He informed his daughter, “I feel like there’ll be some more music to come, definitely. I’m always writing down ideas and thinking about tunes. I believe that if I hadn’t started writing, I would have grown tired of singing long ago.
Many admirers expressed their admiration and support for the singer in the comments after Alan posted a clip of the interview on his Instagram account. One Instagram user said, “Alan you are authentic country singer with great family.” Another person chimed in, “Thank you for all your love and music.” Jackson’s health will only get worse with time, but his admirers will always be appreciative of the significant contribution he made to the country music scene.
