Alan Jackson will no longer be performing at 2022 CMA Fest in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Country Music Association announced the unfortunate news on Friday, June 3, just days before the 49th edition of the Country music festival, taking place in Downtown Music City from Thursday, June 9 through Sunday, June 12.
The country music icon was originally scheduled to perform at Nissan Stadium on Saturday, June 11, alongside Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood and more. Brothers Osborne has now been added to Saturday’s lineup.
No official statements have been shared by Jackson yet.
While it’s unclear if the cancelation is health related, in 2021, the “Chattahoochee” singer revealed that he has been living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disorder, a chronic inherited neuropathy condition that results in nerve deterioration and hampers muscle function, movement and balance, for years.
Jackson opened up about his condition in an interview with TODAY show host, Jenna Bush Hager, in September 2021.
At the time Jackson detailed his condition to Bush Hager, which according to the Georgia native he was diagnosed with ten years ago. “I have this neuropathy and neurological disease,” Jackson revealed.
He continued to share that the disease, inherited from his father, is progressing and is now affecting his ability to walk.
“It’s genetic that I inherited from my daddy… There’s no cure for it, but it’s been affecting me for years,” the “Where Have You Gone” singer continued. “And it’s getting more and more obvious… I know I’m stumbling around on stage. And now I’m having a little trouble balancing, even in front of the microphone, and so I just feel very uncomfortable.”
Alan Jackson Will Embark On His ‘Last Call: One More for the Road Tour’ Later This Month
Later this month, Jackson is expected to embark on his final tour, dubbed Alan Jackson’s Last Call: One More for the Road Tour.
“I’ve always admired my heroes like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn and Charley Pride who just played as much as they wanted to, as long as they could,” Jackson says. “I’ve always thought I’d like to do that, and I’d like to as long as my health will allow,” he notes, adding with a smile, “I’ll try to do as much as I can, but if I’m comin’ your way, come see me….”
The trek, which is his first tour since revealing his serious medical diagnosis last fall, will kick off on Friday, June 24 at Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi.
The Last Call: One More for the Road Tour will visit 30 cities across the United States before wrapping up on October 8 in Pittsburgh, PA at PPG Paints Arena. The tour includes stops in several cities that the three-time CMA Entertainer of the Year hasn’t visited in years.
Jackson will donate $1 for every ticket sold to the CMT Research Foundation. In addition, $1 will be matched by a generous group of CMTRF donors and board members.