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Charles Kelley, the co-lead vocalist and founding member of the country band Lady A, has been diagnosed with the rare blood cancer multiple myeloma.
The singer shared the news on his Instagram on Tuesday, with the caption
“A little health update” under the video.
“Hey everybody. Just wanted to give a quick update on some health issues I’m dealing with,” Kelley said. “I had [a] couple random rib fractures that happened, which sparked my doctor into having me do several different blood tests. And one of the last blood tests we did, they found a blood cancer in there called multiple myeloma, and it’s rare.”
“I’m young, I feel healthy, and the treatments I will say have just come so far, even in the past five years,” he continued. “Even life expectancy just far exceeds what it used to be and, I don’t know, I feel really hopeful. I really do.”
Kelley likened sharing the news of his health with his sobriety journey: “Just getting this stuff off your chest is so freeing, and it takes the power away from it a little bit that we want to let y’all know what was going on. But we’re going to get through it. You know, I think in sobriety it’s all about one day at a time and that we’re not in control, and so that’s the way we’re looking at it.”
Kelley has been outspoken about his struggles with alcohol, and in 2022, the band — formerly known asLady Antebellum— shared that they would be postponing the remainder of their “Request Line Tour” in support of Charles Kelley’s “journey to sobriety.”
The singer concluded the video by sharing that he is “hopeful” and will “try” to let fans in throughout the journey. “It’s just another hurdle, and you know, I’m confident that we’re going to get through it.”
From Dec. 10 through 21, the group will perform a run of Christmas shows as part of the “This Winter’s Night” tour.
