Photo by Dean Budnick

Earlier this week Sturgill Simpson announced via social media that the rest of his 2021 shows had been canceled, due to pain in his throat though he was not completely sure what was causing that pain.

He stated he had hoped it was, “just viral laryngitis or inhaling treated wood from backstage campfire at Merlefest or something equally stupid and not actual injury to vocal cords for playing too many shows in a row after not singing much for over 18 months.” Sadly, today he announced the ladder was in fact the true cause.

“Welp, Turns out I did in fact unfortunately hemorrhage/rupture my vocal chords after all,” he wrote on Instagram. “I am currently getting the best treatment available and should fully recover but its gonna be a long hot minute before I can return to stage.”

Simpson was slated to hold a 5-night residency at Webster Hall in New York City from Sept. 28 to Oct 2. He also was scheduled to play for 3-nights at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, on Nov. 18-20. 

Simpson added, “I just wanted to turn this thing back on for about 15 seconds to say Im sorry to everyone that had tickets to the remaining shows and to thank everyone that has supported me over the years..its been an incredibly fun, rewarding, and educational journey.”

Simpson appeared on the cover of the Jan./Feb. issue of Relix Magazine. Read the full piece here.

Read his full statement below:

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Sturg⚡️iLL (@sturgillsimpson)