Country singer Bill Anderson, 87, cancels Grand Ole Opry show after ‘freak accident'
The country crooner, 87, who earned the nickname 'Whispering Bill' for his soft-spoken tone, opened up about the incident on his personal website on Monday, Aug. 18.
'I appreciate your concern, but I'm here to let you know I'm doing fine. It was a freak accident where I simply twisted or tore some ligaments or muscles or something in the back of my left leg trying to climb into bed, and I fell to the floor unable to walk,' Anderson explained.
9 Bill Anderson attends the 57th Annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena on November 08, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee.
FilmMagic,
Telling his fans he was 'in excruciating pain,' the legendary singer revealed it wasn't just his Opry show that he missed out on due to his injury.
'[I] had to cancel a songwriting appointment with T. Graham Brown on Friday, the Opry on Saturday, and an appearance at the State Fair for WSM on Sunday,' he added. 'If you know me, you know how much it bothers me to go back on any commitment I may have made.'
The Country Music Hall of Famer said he's on the mend, 'thanks to a bunch of ice packs and pain pills.'
'I'm feeling much better today, and hopefully this will all be behind me shortly. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers and most of all for caring,' he concluded.
9 Bill Anderson at Universal Music Group's GRAMMYS after party celebration at Milk Studios Los Angeles on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Getty Images
9 Bill Anderson's statement explaining the cancellation of his Grand Ole Opry appearance.
Anderson was supposed to appear alongside Brown, Jordan Davis, Wyatt Ellis, Kylie Morgan, Don Schlitz, Monte Warden and the Opry Square Dancers over the weekend at the famed Nashville venue.
The 'Still' singer recently became the longest-serving member of the Grand Ole Opry, celebrating 64 years as part of the iconic venue.
Anderson is considered a pioneer of the country subgenre of talk-singing.
9 Bill Anderson performing at the Grand Ole Opry on June 3, 2025.
MBS/MEGA
9 Bill Anderson at the 50th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, at the Bridgestone Arena.
Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
The singer-songwriter was a fixture in the country TV scene from the 60s to 80s, hosting various shows while remaining a staple on the radio.
In September 2024, Anderson released his EP, 'Forevermore.'
On song, in particular, 'The Last One I'll Forget,' has lyrics about a man who's living out his final years and reflecting on the love of his life.
9 Grand Ole Opry members performing onstage at Jeannie Seely's 5,398th Opry Show in August 2025.
Getty Images
9 Louise Mandrell, Larry Gatlin, Becky Isaacs, Jamie Dailey, Bill Anderson, Ricky Skaggs and Rhonda Vincent perform onstage at Jeannie Seely's 5,398th Opry Show: A Public Celebration of Life at Grand Ole Opry House on August 14, 2025.
Getty Images
'I wrote the lyric by visualizing myself as a man in his final years making sure he clearly communicated his everlasting and undying love for the woman who had been, 'the best part of my years,'' he told People at the time.
Anderson was married twice during his lifetime.
He wed his first wife, Bette, in 1959, but they divorced 10 years later, with the country star revealing she never understood the music business. Bette died in 2010.
9 Jeannie Seely and Bill Anderson perform on stage during the Grand Ole Opry's 5000th Show at The Grand Ole Opry on October 30, 2021.
Getty Images
Anderson's second wife was named Becky, whom he married in the '70s. She suffered permanent brain damage in 1984 after a drunk driver smashed into her vehicle.
In 1986, Anderson and Becky were awarded $1.2 million in damages after taking the drunk driver to court. The pair divorced around 1997.
The singer later moved on to his guitar player's ex-wife, Vickie Salas. She passed away in 2019 at age 66 after losing her battle with cancer.
9 Ricky Skaggs and Bill Anderson perform at the Grand Ole Opry in June 2025.
MBS/MEGA
Anderson opened up about their 12-year relationship after her death, calling their time together 'very short' and 'very wonderful.'
'We never married, we never lived together, but she became my everything from that moment forward,' he said.
'It wasn't supposed to be this way. She was 15 years younger than me. The roles were supposed to have been reversed. She was supposed to be sitting at the side of MY bed feeding ME soup and ice cream, not the other way around,' Anderson continued.
'I have a lot of faith and I believe God's hand is in everything that happens in this old world, BUT … The first thing I'm going to do when I get to Heaven is ask Him to explain this one to me. Because right now, I just don't understand.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Rosie O'Donnell slams ‘mean a–hole' Jay Leno over cruel behavior in ‘Biggest Loser' docuseries
Rosie O'Donnell has strong feelings about Netflix's 'Biggest Loser' docuseries. After watching 'Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser,' O'Donnell publicly called out Jay Leno for how he treated former contestant Tracey Yukich in the doc. 'Jay Leno is a mean a—— #biggestloserdocumentary,' O'Donnell captioned her Instagram post Monday, which included photos of Yukich during a confessional and on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' in the new docuseries. Advertisement 9 Rosie O'Donnell in a selfie. rosie/Instagram 9 Tracey Yukich in the 'Fit for TV' docuseries. rosie/Instagram In 'Fit for TV,' Yukich recalled the time she went on Leno's late-night show and he read her death threats that she had received. Advertisement In another Instagram post, O'Donnell called out former 'Biggest Loser' trainer Bob Harper who participated in the doc. 9 Biggest Loser contestant 'Tracey Yukich' on Jay Lenos' late-night show in November 2009. NBCUniversal via Getty Images 9 Jay Leno, Tracey Yukich and Ross Mathews on 'The Tonight Show' in 2009. NBCUniversal via Getty Images 9 Jay Leno attends the 'Midas Man' opening night premiere on June 26, 2025. Getty Images Advertisement 'Ok now bob harper – can u not say IM SORRY – seriously- so hurtful- so cruel – come on bob – #biggestLOSERdoc @netflixuk,' O'Donnell wrote alongside pictures of the doc on her TV. Harper stated in 'Fit for TV' that he 'will stand behind everything that I've ever done' on 'The Biggest Loser.' He also denied that he ever 'put anyone in harm's way.' 9 Bob Harper on 'The Biggest Loser' in 2004. Trae Patton 9 Rosie O'Donnell at the 'Burlesque: The Musical' premiere in London in July 2025. BACKGRID Advertisement The Post has reached out to Leno and Harper's reps for comment. 'Fit for TV' shed lights on the dark side of 'The Biggest Loser,' which forced overweight contestant to lose the most weight to stay in the competition. The show aired from 2004 to 2016 before moving to the USA Network for Season 18 in 2020. During the three-episode doc, Yukich claimed she nearly 'died' during the first challenge of the show's eighth season in 2009. 9 Tracey Yukich on 'The Biggest Loser' Season 8. NBCUniversal via Getty Images 'In my head, I'm like, 'I can run, I've got four kids,'' Yukich recalled. ''I'm running after them all the time.' But it was the longest mile ever.' Yukich suffered a medical emergency as a result of overexerting herself. 'I don't remember a lot,' she said. 'I remember hearing the helicopter. I just felt like I was floating. And then my grandpa was there. And then I saw darkness. But then I saw light. So I knew, I knew I died that day.' 9 Tracey Yukich was a contestant on 'The Biggest Loser' in 209. NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Advertisement The reality star also admitted that she thought the incident 'was my fault because I was fat.' 'Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser' is streaming on Netflix.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
White House trolls Mark Hamill over claim he nearly left US after Trump re-election
He's Luke Cry-walker. 'Star Wars' actor Mark Hamill claimed he nearly left America following President Trump's election victory this past November, prompting a sassy response from the White House. The 73-year-old, most famous for his heroic role in George Lucas' trilogy and subsequent films, admitted he was persuaded to stay in the US by his wife, after he gave her a choice of emigrating to either the UK or Ireland. Advertisement 'She's very clever. She didn't respond right away, but a week later she said, 'I'm surprised you would allow him to force you out of your own country,'' Hamill told the Times of London. Mark Hamill admitted he wanted to leave the US after President Trump's reelection. Getty Images 'That son of a b—h, I thought. I'm not leaving.' Advertisement Hamill, who previously lived in London, was an outspoken supporter of former President Joe Biden, and backed Vice President Kamala Harris' failed bid in the 2024 election. The actor's admission prompted a sarcastic riposte from the White House. The Luke Skywalker actor's admission sparked a sarcastic response from the White House. AP 'Since Mark has decided to stay in the United States, he will get to enjoy the many wins President Trump is securing for the American people — and really, who can blame him for second-guessing a plan to move to the same place as Rosie O'Donnell,' a spokeswoman told Fox News. Advertisement Elsewhere, Hamill raged at the current administration, saying: 'The bullying, the incompetence, the people in place. … The only way I can deal with it without going crazy and wanting to open my veins in a warm tub is to look at it like a thick, sprawling political novel. 'It's entertaining in a way because this could actually be the end. Our status in the world has been crippled, and that will reverberate for decades. Making Canada a 51st state? Do you know how offensive that is? And then taking over Greenland and renaming the Gulf of Mexico. The distractions are hilarious.' Despite his grievances, Hamill said of the US: 'I still believe there are more honest, decent people than there are the MAGA crowd. 'If I didn't, I'd move back to England.'
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Rescue Cat Meets New Kitten Sibling, What Happens Next Melts Hearts
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A viral video showing the budding friendship between a rescue cat and their new kitten sibling has touched the hearts of hundreds of thousands of viewers online, offering a rare glimpse of feline bonding unfolding in real time. The pair's owner had captured former stray, named Menace, meeting the family's new, smaller kitten for the first time inside their home. At first, the adult cat keeps close watch over the newcomer, sniffing and shadowing the kitten with cautious curiosity. But it does not take long for that suspicion to melt into affection. The short clip had been shared to Instagram under @pawswithari on August 15 and has amassed more than 123,000 likes to date. "I was worried how our stray cat Menace will get along with a new kitten," read the overlaid text at the start of the video. Moments later, the scene shifts with a new caption: "Two hours later." By this point, the cats are pressed together in quiet comfort, with filmed Menace grooming the kitten as the pair snuggle side by side. The caption accompanying the post cemented the duo's new bond. "Now they sleep in the sink together," it read. The quick transformation—from wary introduction to mutual affection—has drawn comments from viewers emotionally struck by the scene. Several have praised the heartfelt clip, and Menace's quick acceptance of his new sibling. "This might be the most adorable video I've seen all week oh my gosh," one viewer said. "THIS is what the Internet was made for," another added. "I'm going to die of cuteness," a third viewer shared lightheartedly, while a fourth added: "Warning: dangerous levels of adorableness detected." "A match made in heaven," one viewer commented. "He's not the stepdad. He's the dad that stepped up," another joked. "It's funny how they determine who's in charge by who does the cleaning," a third said, referring to the moment caught on camera of Menace licking his new sibling. "Best animal ever." "The look of relaxed happiness of a small cat being groomed by a new friend," one comment added. "Oh, my heart, seeing Menace wash the baby. Loving this," another said, also pointing out the tender moment. Newsweek reached out to @pawswithari for more information via email. Stock image: Two cats cuddle up to each other on a white blanket. Stock image: Two cats cuddle up to each other on a white blanket. Getty Images Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
