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Charles Kelley, a member of country music trio Lady A, has been open with fans about his life both on and offstage. Now, Kelley and his wife, Cassie, are sharing a major health update, stating that the Lady A member has been diagnosed with the rare blood cancer multiple myeloma.
“I had a couple of random rib fractures that happened, which sparked my doctor into having me do several different blood tests,” Kelley, 45, said in a video shared in a joint Instagram post with the band on Tuesday (Sept. 29). “One of the last blood tests we did, they found a blood cancer in there called multiple myeloma, and it’s rare.”
He added, “I’m young, and I feel healthy, and the treatments, I will say, have just come so far even in the past five years, that life expectancy just far exceeds what it used to be. I feel really hopeful, I really do.”
According to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells found in the bone marrow.
The singer has previously shared his journey with sobriety back in 2023, and in the video, he said he and his family similarly plan to keep fans updated on his health journey.
“We shared a lot of my sobriety journey, just getting this stuff off your chest is so freeing and it takes the power away from it, a little bit, that we wanted to let y’all know what was going on, but we’re going to get through it,” he said. “In sobriety, it’s all about one day at a time, and that we’re not in control, so that’s the way we’re looking at it. Right now, I feel great.”
He said that he is still working on music with Lady A while undergoing treatment. “We’ve got a new record coming out soon with Lady A, and we got Christmas shows, and this first six months of treatment, I believe, is not going to be too super invasive, that I can still work. I think physically, I will feel like myself. I’ll have tough days, but I wanna keep working. Even going out last weekend [Lady A performed shows in Kansas and Oklahoma] after even knowing the news, was like, ‘This is where I belong.’ I need to be happy and doing what I love to do, and spending and soaking up as much time with my family as I can as well. I’m hopeful, I really am … it’s just another hurdle and I feel confident that we are going to get through it.”
Many artists shared their support for Kelley on social media, including Lady A’s IG account, which commented, “We love you, Charles,” and his Lady A bandmate Hillary Scott, who wrote, “The strongest duo right there! Love y’all so much! You got this!”
Martina McBride shared, “Love you! Here for whatever you need. You got this,” while Dan + Shay’s Shay Mooney wrote, “Love you brother!” Brittney Spencer commented, “Sending so much love as y’all journey through this,” and Jake Owen penned, “Love you guys…praying for all y’all and lifting you up brother.”
In addition to new music on the way, Lady A will launch its This Winter’s Night Tour 2026 in December.
The trio also recently released a collaboration with Boyz II Men called “I Love the One,” as part of an upcoming set of music inspired by the series The Chosen.
See the video from the Lady A vocalist below:
