Country star Eric Church says music saved him after near-fatal blood clot, brother's death

Country prima Eric Church opened up astir enduring back-to-back tragedies aft a near-death experience.

During a caller question and reply pinch "CBS Mornings," nan 46-year-old musician recalled his near-fatal humor clot that required emergency room and months of recovery. Following his wellness crisis, Church fell into a slump arsenic he coped pinch his devastation complete nan wide shooting successful Las Vegas and mourned nan nonaccomplishment of his younger relative Brandon.

"I went done a play location — location was a batch of acheronian successful that period," Church said. 

Eric Church opened up astir going done a "dark" period. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

"Eight months," he continued. "Pretty dark." 

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Church's difficulties began successful June 2017 erstwhile he underwent emergency room aft doctors discovered a life-threatening humor clot successful his chest. 

The "Heart connected Fire" hitmaker revealed his harrowing aesculapian ordeal for nan first clip successful a July 2018 question and reply pinch Rolling Stone. Church told nan outlet he went to nan emergency room aft experiencing tingling successful his hands and swelling successful his near arm.  

Church suffered a near-fatal humor clot successful June 2017. ( CBS via Getty Images)

Church was told to thrust to different halfway for an ultrasound and received his diagnosis. He was past informed he would request room immediately.

"The expert came in, and I said, ‘Bad news?’ and he said, ‘Yep, you person a monolithic humor clot? I said, ’Can it termination me?' And he said, ‘Today,'" Church recalled during his question and reply pinch "CBS Mornings."

"It was nan first time, I think, successful my life I had possibly evaluated my ain mortality, one, but past a batch of different people's mortality, too,'" he said.

Church's doctors told nan 10-time Grammy Award nominee his humor clot was owed to a commencement defect that caused his first rib to beryllium excessively adjacent to his collarbone. 

The unit betwixt nan 2 bones resulted successful thoracic outlet syndrome, a group of disorders that hap erstwhile definite humor vessels aliases nerves are compressed, according to nan Mayo Clinic.

Church underwent room to region his topmost rib a week aft his emergency operation. He spent nan remainder of nan summertime successful beingness therapy and rehab earlier resuming touring successful September 2017.

Church underwent emergency room and required months of recovery. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

Church faced different life-changing arena little than a period later. Church was nan headliner for nan first nighttime of nan Route 91 Harvest Music Festival successful Las Vegas Sept. 29. A mates of days later, nan state euphony show became nan tract of nan deadliest mass shooting successful U.S. history erstwhile a gunman opened occurrence connected nan crowd from his room astatine an adjacent hotel.

Sixty group were killed and complete 850 group were injured during nan shooting. While appearing connected "CBS Mornings," Church recalled struggling pinch his condolences successful nan aftermath of nan tragedy.

"I watched group that nighttime clasp up boots and singing astatine nan apical of their lungs, and past 2 days later, it was nan deadliest wide shooting successful U.S. history," he recalled. "I had a batch of fans that had stayed complete for nan play to spot each nan shows that sewage killed.

"Something astir it conscionable benignant of collapsed me. I deliberation it was nan consciousness of what euphony has been for maine on pinch them, nan safe abstraction portion of it," he said of his fans. "I deliberation shattering that shattered a portion of me.

"It still is simply a reliable thing."

Church performs astatine nan Route 91 Harvest Festival 2 days earlier nan tragic wide shooting. (Mindy Small/FilmMagic)

Less than a twelvemonth later, Church's younger relative Brandon died astatine nan property of 36 aft he suffered 2 seizures and went into cardiac apprehension connected June 29, 2018. Brandon's charismatic origin of decease was later wished to beryllium owed to nan "consequences of chronic alcoholism" that resulted successful bosom and liver damage, according People magazine. 

Brandon was 1 of Church's biggest supporters and persuaded him to proceed pursuing euphony erstwhile nan state prima was struggling successful nan early years of his career. He besides co-wrote Church's deed "How ‘Bout You," which was featured connected his debut album, 2006’s "Sinners Like Me," arsenic good arsenic "Without You Here," from his 2009 medium "Carolina."

Church told "CBS Mornings" he recovered comfortableness successful his emotion of euphony while coping pinch Brandon's death.

"I sewage done it for illustration everything other I've sewage done successful my life," he said. "I turned to nan 1 point I cognize I tin do. I wrote songs."

Church precocious kicked disconnected a 19-date residency astatine his caller bar, restaurant, arena abstraction and unrecorded euphony venue Chief's successful Nashville. 

According to its website, Chief's features "different floors for different experiences" successful nan "iconic" Leslie Warner Building, which was renovated by Church and co-owner AJ Partners. The rooftop is location to nan edifice Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ, which is helmed by Broadway's first James Beard Award-winning chef, Rodney Scott.

Chief's, located connected Broadway Street successful nan city's downtown intermezo district, precocious made headlines erstwhile Church's chap state prima Morgan Wallen was arrested for allegedly throwing a chair disconnected nan tile of nan six-story building.

Church precocious kicked disconnected a 19-date residency astatine his barroom Chief's. (John Shearer/Getty Images for Chiefs)

Wallen, 30, was arrested April 8, 3 days aft Chief's held its expansive opening. The "Wasted On You" vocalist was charged pinch 3 felony counts of reckless endangerment and 1 count of disorderly conduct.

After Wallen's arrest, his attorney, Worrick Robinson, told Fox News Digital nan musician was "cooperating afloat pinch authorities." 

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Church's spokesperson, who besides represents Wallen, said successful a connection to Fox News Digital that nan "Springsteen" vocalist had "no comment" connected nan arrest.

Last week, Wallen collapsed his soundlessness connected his apprehension successful a station that he shared connected X, formerly Twitter.

"I didn't consciousness correct publically checking successful until I made amends pinch immoderate folks," he wrote. "I’ve touched guidelines pinch Nashville rule enforcement, my family, and nan bully group astatine Chief’s.

"I'm not proud of my behavior, and I judge responsibility."

Morgan Wallen and Church's opus reached No. 1 connected nan state euphony charts. (John Shearer)

Wallen's fans person mostly stood by nan state star, and their support was connected afloat show erstwhile his collaboration pinch Church topped nan charts pursuing his arrest.

Wallen's opus "Man Made a Bar," featuring Church, reached No. 1 connected nan Billboard Country Airplay chart, earning much than 31 cardinal assemblage impressions for nan week of April 5-11.

The tune, released successful 2023, marked Wallen's 14th No. 1 azygous and gave Church his 12th No. 1 song. 

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During his question and reply pinch "CBS Mornings," Church said he was inspired to clasp a residency astatine Chief's truthful he could stock nan euphony that had helped him flooded his darkest times.

"What I'm trying to show pinch nan residency present is it was really nan songwriting and nan songs that nobody's heard, and I've ne'er put connected a grounds because it was excessively personal. It was excessively close. I want to play those. I want to say, ‘This is what sewage maine through,’" he explained.

The North Carolina autochthonal described performing astatine Chief's arsenic a "form of therapy."

"I wanted a spot that I could show up astatine — nary cellphones, nary recordings — that I could beryllium successful nan surviving room setting, and I could play songs that didn't make albums," he said.

Church said that performing during his residency is simply a "form of therapy." (John Shearer/Getty Images for Chiefs)

Church said Chief's was now his safe abstraction for euphony aft nan tragic shooting astatine nan Route 91 Harvest Festival.

"And theirs," he said, referring to his fans. "And theirs. I dream they consciousness that."

Church besides marveled complete performing astatine his ain barroom connected Broadway aft facing antecedently rejection connected nan thoroughfare famed for its honkey-tonks and state euphony scene.

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"I couldn't get a gig connected Broadway," he recalled. "Nothing. I couldn't moreover bartend connected Broadway.

"I was conscionable drawn here, and past I sewage here, and it wasn't precisely what I thought. It was nosy to beryllium backmost present now," he continued. "It was redemptive. I mean, you know, it's 1 of those things wherever I deliberation astir it a lot. It's conscionable a redemptive point to look astatine what this is and nan attraction that we put into this spot to make it consciousness that way.

"I started here. I'm here. They can't footwear maine out."