Country Star Ray Stevens, 87, Breaks Neck in Fall but ‘In Good Spirits’

Doctors have directed Stevens to wear a neck brace for about four weeks, but he “remains fully mobile and in good spirits,” the statement said.

Rudy Blalock

Published: 4/7/2026, 11:25:05 PM EDT

Country Star Ray Stevens, 87, Breaks Neck in Fall but ‘In Good Spirits’ — Inductee Ray Stevens performs during the 2022 Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum Concert and Induction Ceremony at Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn., on Nov. 22, 2022. (Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)

Country music legend Ray Stevens is recovering at home after breaking his neck in a fall late last month that briefly landed him in hospital.

The 87-year-old entertainer suffered the injury on Sunday, March 29, when a fall resulted in a broken neck, according to a statement shared April 7 to his social media accounts.

He was briefly hospitalized in the Nashville area and has since been discharged to continue his recovery at home. Doctors have directed Stevens to wear a neck brace for about four weeks, but he “remains fully mobile and in good spirits,” the statement said.

Despite the serious injury, Stevens’ upcoming album, “Favorites Old & New,” is still slated for release this on April 10, via Curb Records. The album is the latest chapter in a career that has stretched across six decades.

News of Stevens’ fall drew support from fans and fellow musicians. The Charlie Daniels Band offered a characteristically humorous get-well message in a Tuesday Facebook post, saying the Daniels family wanted to wish “a speedy recovery to the one and only Ray Stevens.”

“It seems he took it literally when they said you have to break your neck to make it in the music business. Ouch! We're sure his sense of humor isn't broken, and we pray for a compete and speedy healing, boogity boogity!” the post read, which was signed by Charles Daniel Jr.

The neck injury comes less than a year after Stevens suffered a heart attack in July, according to a statement posted on his Facebook in December 2025. That earlier statement said Stevens’ recovery from the heart attack was “progressing very positively” and that he was “doing well following the life-saving procedures that took place earlier this year.”

“Stevens remains upbeat and active, now back working full-time in his recording studio as he regains strength and continues forward with confidence,” the post said.

At the time, Stevens said he was “trying to get strong enough to continue performing,” but added, “in the meantime, I’ve got a lot of work I want to do in the recording studio, so I intend to focus my attention there for now.”

Future of Showroom

Stevens has also been weighing the future of his Ray Stevens CabaRay Showroom, his entertainment complex in West Nashville. “I’d like to sell it,” he said at the time. “I just need someone to give me a call and make an offer I can understand and can’t refuse.”

Opened in 2018, the CabaRay seats 713 guests and includes two full-service bars, a 60-seat piano bar, a gift shop, ticket office, television production offices, a full recording studio and substantial storage, all on a 6.5-acre paved property with parking for more than 300 vehicles.

Born Harold Ray Ragsdale on Jan. 24, 1939, in Clarkdale, Georgia, Stevens built a career blending comedy, country and pop, according to his official biography. He signed his first recording deal at 18, wrote songs alongside artists such as Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton, and went on to win two Grammys, for “Everything Is Beautiful” and his bluegrass arrangement of “Misty.”

His multi-million-selling novelty hit “The Streak,” the socially conscious “Mr. Businessman” and a long string of comedy and country releases made him a staple of American music and television.

In 2019, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, capping a career in which he has sold more than 40 million albums.