Clay Walker battles new MS health challenges after 30 years with disease
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Country music star Clay Walker says his health is declining after living with multiple sclerosis for nearly three decades.
The “Won’t Be Lonely Long” singer says 2025 is testing her strength like never before as she faces new challenges from the disease she’s been battling since her diagnosis in 1996.
“[I’m] “We are definitely going through a challenging time right now,” Walker, 56, admitted. People in an interview. “At the beginning of the year I noticed that I was having a lot of difficulty with balance and walking and it started to really worry me. I knew I had to do something.”
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Clay Walker had surgery earlier this year to relieve his worsening symptoms. (Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
Walker had surgery in March to implant a baclofen pump, a device that delivers anti-spasticity medications directly into the spinal fluid to help relax muscles and relieve stiffness. Cleveland Clinic.
“The surgery gave me a lot of hope,” he said. “But so far it’s not very good. It hasn’t done what I wanted. Balance has been an issue lately.”
Doctors believe physical therapy will “intervene properly,” but Walker admitted recovery has been slower than he had hoped.
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“Am I walking perfectly? No. Am I walking better? Absolutely,” he said. “The other day I got on the treadmill and walked for five minutes without a harness to keep me from falling. That’s progress.”
Walker was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1996 and debated the disease’s prognosis for decades. The disease damages the protective covering around nerves in the central nervous system, leading to symptoms such as muscle weakness, numbness, vision changes and mobility problems.
Walker was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1996. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Universal Music Group)
When Walker was first diagnosed with MS, doctors gave him a poor prognosis.
“I was told that I wouldn’t be around for a very long time, that I would be in a wheelchair, and that I would die pretty quickly because of the amount of lesions on my spinal cord, brainstem, and brain,” he recalled.
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Walker defied those odds—and now, almost three decades later, she’s still performing, still writing, still fighting.
“We turned everything around,” he said. “We already won the war, you know? We have something to celebrate.”
In 2026, Walker will reach the milestone of living with multiple sclerosis for 30 years. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
In 2026, Walker will reach the milestone of living with multiple sclerosis for 30 years.
He admitted that fans have seen the effects of his condition up close during live shows – something he said wasn’t easy for him to accept.
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“Does it bother me that people have to watch me try to get off stage? Yes, it does,” he said. “But my band is very in tune with me and they know if I’m struggling. All it takes is one look. They’re always there, especially my bassist Curt Walsh. I say, ‘Man, if you see me falling, fall in front of me so I don’t get hurt.'”
This Sunday, Walker will take the helm of the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville for the first time; it’s a milestone that carries even more weight considering his journey.
Despite the physical challenges, Walker’s passion for performing keeps him going.
Walker will take the helm of Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium for the first time on November 9. (Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)
“My joy comes from being on stage,” he said. “I mean, there’s an incomparable rush of energy and endorphins. I don’t think there’s any drug that has that much of an effect. It’s crazy.”
country singer He set the concert date for 2026 and said that his story is not over yet.
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“MS has been a journey and some of it has been pretty rough, but I’m starting to turn the corner now,” Walker continued to People. “I’m not giving up. I’m like a pit bull. You can swing me off the cliff and I won’t let go. A lot of people have a lot of different crosses to carry or bear, and this is mine.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Walker’s representatives.
