Music

Billy Ray Cyrus Recovered From Sepsis and Vocal Paralysis

Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus credits his 5-year-old grandson with helping him through a near-fatal battle with sepsis that caused temporary vocal paralysis.

Rolling Stone·Jun 10, 2026·via Rolling Stone

Billy Ray Cyrus Recovered From Sepsis and Vocal Paralysis

Health Update

Billy Ray Cyrus Reveals He Suffered Temporary Vocal Paralysis After a Near-Fatal Battle With Sepsis

The country singer calls his recovery a "miracle," and credits his 5-year-old grandson with helping him through the scare

By Jaeden Pinder

Jaeden Pinder

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June 10, 2026

Billy Ray Cyrus has a lot to celebrate with his new album, The Hill , arriving on June 16, but he had other hills to conquer, including a health crisis, before reaching this point. In a new interview, he revealed that he suffered a near-fatal experience with sepsis in 2024. He noted how the health crisis led to a subsequent diagnosis of temporary vocal paralysis.

In his interview with People , Cyrus didn’t disclose too many details about the health scare, but said he was diagnosed with the condition back in 2024 and consequently faced vocal paralysis, describing the bout as a “very broken moment of my life.” He called his bounce-back a “miracle” crediting his grandson Bear (the 5-year-old son of Braison Cyrus ) for helping him see the light in a dark time.

“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.”