Billy Ray Cyrus Suffered a Near-Fatal Battle With Sepsis

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.”

The “Achy Breaky Heart” singer’s bout with sepsis came two years after he and Tish Cyrus filed for divorce after 28 years of marriage. Later on, Cyrus got married to singer Firerose, but the pair split in 2024 after irreconcilable differences. Billy Ray met English actress Elizabeth Hurley in 2025 and revealed their relationship the same year. Tish got remarried to Dominic Purcell in 2023.

Cyrus’ next album The Hill is out June 16, the singer-songwriter’s first of new material in over a decade. Braison Cyrus is credited as a producer and songwriter on several songs across the record. “On Our Way Along,” a duet featuring his daughter Noah, was released in April.