Lainey Wilson Has Been Open About Her Dad's Health Struggles — "He Shouldn't Be Here"

It was July 2022 when Lainey Wilson's dad first experienced a health emergency, prompting her to cancel a show in Iowa without much notice.

What happened to the country star's father that caused her to rush to his side so quickly? Fans were concerned, and rightly so.

At first, Lainey wasn't saying anything about the scary situation, and all people could do was speculate and hope for the best. But the "Heart Like a Truck" singer has since opened up about what happened to her dad, Brian. Read on for the full details and why Brian almost didn't make it.

Fans first learned Lainey was experiencing a "family emergency" when she canceled a concert at the last minute.

As the singer told fans in an upsetting social media post, it was a "critical" situation that left her no choice.

"Please keep my family in your prayers," she asked fans at the end of the brief update.

As Lainey revealed in a subsequent interview with Taste of Country, her dad had suffered a fungal infection that "completely took out the left side of his face."

Indeed, it's as gruesome as it sounds.

As Lainey went on to share, her dad ended up spending two months in a hospital intensive care unit and ultimately lost his left eye and some bones in his face.

"He had a stroke on top of all of that," Lainey also heartbreakingly shared in the interview, adding that her dad bravely endured nine surgeries in a month and a half.

"He's not supposed to be here," the country crooner said.

Lainey also told People, “It was really, really bad. All the doctors had told us, 'This is not looking good.'"

However, Brian is here today to support his daughter and watch her career take off.

Lainey even wrote a song about the experience and how she feels about her dad called "These Boots (Deddy's Song)." He even convinced her to film Yellowstone from his hospital bed.

As evidenced from his appearance on the CMA Awards red carpet in late 2022 alongside his famous and beaming daughter, Brian is doing much better, and as Lainey shared, he continues to improve.

In fact, Lainey's dad has made huge strides according to an update she provided in 2023.

"He is great," the star said proudly. "Mama sent me a video of him the other day, riding a horse in the front yard. He's back at it. I'm so thankful, it was a miracle."

She also said, "It has taken him about two years to get back up on his feet. He's back at it, though; you can't slow a cowboy down."

Lainey also shared with fans in her People interview, "I'm so glad and so thankful that he is around to see the things that are happening right now. He's real proud.”

We're also thankful that this story has a happy ending!