At 82 years old, it wouldn't be surprising for Willie Nelson to have a health scare. The unrepentant marijuana user has definitely had some wear and tear during his long-spanning career. When he had to reschedule opening dates of his Django and Jimmie Tour with Merle Haggard fans wondered about the reasons behind it. In a recent interview, the singer finally explained the reasons behind the postponed dates on the tour.
The tour had been slated to begin October 15 and instead began on October 21. A stunningly proficient performer for his age, Nelson still has multiple dates scheduled but will reunite with Haggard when he acts as host for a three-part performance at Whitewater Amphitheater in Texas.
On the suspected health scare Nelson told The Washington Post, "It was a stem cell operation. It's supposed to help the lungs. Over the years I've smoked a lot of 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."
He further stated, "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."
Even in his later years, Nelson remains active in the music industry and just landed the honor of being the first country artist to ever be awarded the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song from the Library of Congress. The likes of Alison Krauss, Jamey Johnson and Rosanne Cash were in attendance.
The past September Nelson additionally teamed up with young country starlet Kacey Musgraves for a music video based on his song "Are You Sure." Musgraves had chosen the tune for her 2015 sophomore album Pageant Material nearly 50 years after Nelson had written and released it on Country Willie - His Own Songs in 1965.
