Carly Pearce revealed her worst fears after being diagnosed with chronic heart disease
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Country music star Carly Pearce has opened up about her worst fears after being diagnosed with chronic heart disease.
In 2024, Pearce, 36, was diagnosed with recurrent pericarditis, a condition that causes inflammation of the tissue around the heart. The “Every Little Thing” singer previously shared that she has been dealing with repeated episodes of chest pain, shortness of breath and fatigue since 2020.
In an interview with Fox News Digital at her annual “Carly’s Closet” fundraiser, Pearce shared the biggest emotional challenge she faced after her diagnosis.
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“I think just when you get any kind of diagnosis, I think it can be scary and make you worry, ‘Is it going to happen again? Am I OK?’ For me, it was ‘Oh my god, is my heart right? Am I going to have a heart attack?'” Pearce said.
Carly Pearce has revealed her worst fears after being diagnosed with chronic heart disease. (Jason Davis/Getty Images)
Pearce spoke to Fox News Digital at her annual pop-up for charity “Carly’s Closet,” held during CMA Fest in Nashville, Tennessee. At the fundraiser, fans can purchase items from the singer’s personal closet and Pearce donates the proceeds to the CMA Foundation, which supports music education programs.
Pearce went on to explain how he avoided serious complications while living with pericarditis.
“Making sure you educate yourself so you know those things won’t happen,” she said.
The Grammy Award winner also advised others not to rely on online medical searches if they receive a scary medical diagnosis.
“Don’t go on chatGPT or WedMD,” warns Pearce.
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When it appeared in February in Rolling Stone’s “Nashville Now,” Pearce urged his followers to get medical help immediately if health problems arise.
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“That’s something I developed in 2020 and I didn’t know what it was for a really long time. It was misdiagnosed, and it was dismissed,” explained Pearce.
“‘Oh, you have anxiety. Oh, you have a busy schedule,'” Pearce recalled being told by doctors. “And it’s like, ‘No, something’s wrong.’ And, so, in 2024, I went public with that just because it took me a second. But I’m doing really well. And I didn’t have any kind of severe burning. But I think, also, just trying to be honest with people and using my platform to say, ‘Please get tested because something is wrong.’
After announcing his diagnosis in May 2024, Pearce recalled that he was skeptical about his symptoms early on and said he persevered until doctors found the source of his health problems.
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“My biggest advice to anyone is this: Listen to your body, and be your own advocate. … Many doctors dismissed me, and I persisted until I was diagnosed,” he said at the time.
The country singer was diagnosed with recurrent pericarditis in 2024. (Gilbert Flores/Penske Media)
In his recent interview with Fox News Digital, Pearce explained how he learned to live with his disease and shared a positive update on his life.
“I’m doing really well now,” he said. “I feel like I’m in a really good place with my health and I feel like I have a plan for if I have a flare of recurrent pericarditis. I’m well equipped and educated right now so I know what to do.”
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When asked if managing his condition has changed the way he tours and performs, Pearce shared that it actually taught him an important lesson about life.
“I think it’s probably changed the way I exercise a lot,” he said. “I don’t have to turn the treadmill to 12, or I don’t have to look around and try to work every single person in the class. I guess I don’t work hard or all that stuff.”
“Taking care of my body and listening to my body instead of thinking it has to be 10,” added Pearce.
Pearce was worried he might have a heart attack. (Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for ABA)
Pearce has stated that his condition has forced him to reduce the intensity of his live performances, although he is committed to touring and fulfilling scheduled shows. The singer is currently working on her upcoming fifth studio album, the follow-up to 2024’s “Hummingbird.”
He has released songs from his upcoming record, including “Dream Come True,” “Church Girl,” “You Can Have Him” and his duet with Riley Green, “If I Don’t Leave, I’m Gonna Stay,”
While speaking with Fox News Digital, Pearce reflected on his 2021 album “29: Written in Stone,” which was inspired by the difficult events he experienced when he was 29, including his split from fellow country singer Michael Ray and the death of his longtime producer and mentor, Busbee.
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Carly Pearce and Michael Ray, who divorced in 2020, were photographed at the CMA Awards in 2019. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
In October 2019, Pearce married Ray, but filed for divorce eight months later in June 2020. Pearce has described that period as one of the most difficult times of her life and admitted that she was ashamed of her divorce.
Busbee, born Michael James Ryan Busbee, died in September 2019 at the age of 43 following a battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Pearce said Busbee’s death left a personal and professional void, forcing him to continue his work without the producer who helped launch it. He later credited his training with giving him the confidence to find his own voice and create “29.”
The album marked a major turning point in Pearce’s career, reaching number 9 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and number 32 on the Billboard 200 chart.
“29” also produced his own hit singles, including his collaboration with Ashley McBride entitled “Never Wanted to Be That Girl,” which topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart, earned him Country Music Association (CMA) honors and later a Grammy Award.
The record received album of the year nominations from the CMA Awards and the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards and led to his induction into the Grand Ole Opry.
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Looking back, Pearce told Fox News Digital that he’s “in a much better place than when I wrote ’29,’ but a lot of the best stuff came from ’29.”
“So I’m very grateful [but] I don’t want to go back to ’29’ again,” he added.
Pearce also shared what fans can expect from his upcoming album, which he previously told Fox News Digital will return to his Kentucky and Appalachian bluegrass roots.
“It’s the most honest music I’ve ever made,” he said. “I think I’m really celebrating being a woman and loving where I am in life and going back to the only thing I can control, which is music, and sharing more than I have about who I am.”
The singer shared what fans can expect from her upcoming fifth studio album. (Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)
In his interview, Pearce explained why he continues to hold the bag every year after launching it for the first time in 2022.
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“Well, I always have a lot of clothes and I always feel like it’s important to the fans,” she said. “And every year, year-round, I look out into the crowd, and I look, and they look back at me, and I’m like, ‘Oh that’s a Carly’s Closet thing,'” she shared.
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“And it seems like people are really enjoying it, and it brings me great joy to be able to raise money for the CMA Foundation and give the next phase of life to these clothes that are so beautiful and deserve another moment,” said Pearce.
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The singer of the hit song “Hide the Wine” admitted that sometimes he found it difficult to part with a few things.
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““Some of them I’m very happy to part with and others I have to tell the truth, like there were a few things here that have been sitting in my closet for six years, they were already sympathetic to me but they’re gone, they’re out,” he said.
“There are things that make me very sad that I will never part with,” he continued, “But all these things matter.
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“Like I sang with Rascal Flatts and I wore that dress last year at the stadium and that’s a great memory,” Pearce said while showing off the shopping mall.
“Or I wore this on the red carpet. I wore it on the red carpet,” she added while pointing to another. “It’s all the same [the 2005 movie] ‘Sister of the Walking Pants.’ I know I say it, but like all things it has a story and I think that’s what makes it special and people get their own memories from time to time..”
