By Erin Duvall
Last month, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard were forced to postpone the start of their Django and Jimmie tour due to the Red Headed Stranger’s unknown medical issues. Nelson revealed to the Washington Post in a new interview what put him out of commission.
“It was a stem-cell operation,” he says. “It’s supposed to help the lungs. Over the years I’ve smoked a lotof cigarettes, and I’ve had emphysema and pneumonia four or five times, so my lungs were really screwed up, and I had heard that this stem-cell operation would be good for them. So I said, ‘Well, I’m gonna try it out.’ But I’m still so sore that I can’t say that it was a success. I’ll have to wait until all the soreness goes away.”
Related: Health Issues Force Willie Nelson to Postpone Tour Dates
He echos that same sentiment when answering the question of whether it has affected his singing.
“I’ll let you know,” he says with a laugh. “I think I’ll be able to sing. The only thing that worries me more than anything is carrying my guitar, because they did the operation right in my stomach. But I think I’ll be all right.”
According to his website, Nelson heads back out on the road on Nov. 20. See a full list of dates here.
