Billy Ray Cyrus Opens Up About Vocal Paralysis Following Serious Health Emergency

Billy Ray Cyrus has opened up about battling "vocal paralysis" after a "near-fatal" case of sepsis in 2024.

During an interview with People published on Wednesday, the Achy Breaky Heart star looked back on the frightening health crisis that led to his hospitalisation.

Cyrus explained that his entire body became "swollen," and at one stage doctors advised him to put his "affairs in order."

"I don't know exactly how it evolved. It was my worst nightmare. Two years before that, my mom had died in that hospital, in the very floor that I was on," he told the outlet, referring to the death of his mother Ruth Ann, who passed away at age 85 in 2022.

Cyrus stressed that surviving sepsis, a condition caused by the body's extreme response to an infection, felt nothing short of miraculous.

"I had a prayer answered," the 64 year old said.

The health battle was followed by another major challenge when Cyrus developed vocal paralysis.

However, support from his family, including daughters Miley and Noah Cyrus and grandson Bear, helped him find the strength to move forward. Bear is the son of Braison Cyrus and his wife, Stella McBride.

"In this very broken moment of my life, 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," he added.

Cyrus is preparing to release his new album, The Hill, on 16 June.