Country Legend Ronnie Dunn Revealed Why He Went To Vanderbilt Hospital Before Taking the Stage On Morgan Wallen’s Tour

Ronnie Dunn walked off a Brooks and Dunn stage last year mid song still fighting off COVID and strep throat.

Now the 73 year old country legend is opening up about another hospital trip that almost sidelined him again.

Dunn revealed exactly what sent him to Vanderbilt hospital hours before opening for Morgan Wallen.

Ronnie Dunn Powers Through A Bronchitis Diagnosis To Take The Stage For Wallen

Brooks & Dunn shared a video over the weekend showing Ronnie in rough shape backstage.

He was gearing up to open for Morgan Wallen on the Still the Problem Tour.

"I don't feel too good tonight," Ronnie told the camera.

"Went to Vanderbilt yesterday. I struggled a little bit last week," he said.

Doctors ran tests on his throat, thinking it might be his vocal cords.

The real diagnosis was bronchitis.

"They said hydrate, and I've been drinking stuff all day, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to pee my pants onstage," Ronnie joked.

That's a 73 year old man cracking jokes about wetting himself rather than canceling a stadium show.

Bronchitis is not just an inconvenience for a singer.

Doctors who treat professional vocalists say coughing scrapes the vocal cords with every episode.

That can cause swelling, hemorrhage, or worse if a performer pushes through without rest.

Ronnie pushed through anyway.

A Country Legend Who Refuses To Sit Down

The video showed Ronnie greeting fans from a distance before the show.

"I don't know why," he said about not wanting to be around crowds.

"Usually it doesn't bother me," he added.

"I think my blood sugar's off. Having bronchitis is driving me crazy."

The cameras caught him gripping a stairwell railing, stopping to steady his breathing before continuing on.

This isn't the first time Ronnie has fought through sickness for his fans.

Last year in Indianapolis, he was still recovering from the COVID and strep throat that had sidelined him weeks earlier in Houston.

He made it almost the entire concert before his voice gave out during the encore of "Boot Scootin' Boogie."

He tapped his chest, waved to the crowd, and walked off rather than fake his way through.

Weeks before that, at the Houston Rodeo, he performed in front of more than 71,000 fans while visibly winded, joking that he had "strovid."

He finished that set too.

Brooks & Dunn still have more dates left opening for Wallen before they launch their own headlining Neon Moon Tour this fall.

Ronnie Dunn has been doing this since 1991.

That's 35 years of stadiums, arenas, and rodeo grandstands, and he's still the artist other stars want opening their tours.

That's not the only injury Ronnie has fought through recently either.

He tore up his knee skiing in late 2024 and needed a knee replacement.

He took eight weeks off, then got right back on a tour bus.

Most men his age would be happy just walking without pain.

Ronnie Dunn got a new knee and went back to headlining stadiums.

The Work Ethic Nobody Talks About Anymore

Ronnie Dunn is 73 years old, coughing through bronchitis, and still walking out to perform in front of thousands of fans.

That used to be normal for country music.

Now half of touring music treats a scratchy throat like a reason to postpone a show and put out a statement about it.

Ronnie Dunn goes to the hospital, gets told to hydrate, and shows up anyway.

That's the difference between a legend and a brand.

Fans don't remember the excuses.

They remember a 73 year old man with a new knee and a case of bronchitis choosing the stage over the couch.

That's why Brooks & Dunn have packed arenas for three and a half decades, and why stadiums are still selling out to watch him refuse to quit.

That kind of grit is getting rare in country music.

It's the reason fans keep buying tickets no matter how many times Ronnie shows up sick.

Sources:

• Megan Grisham, "Ronnie Dunn Opens Up About Recent Illness That Required A Hospital Visit," Country Rebel, July 7, 2026.
• Staff, "Country Music Legend Ronnie Dunn Exits Stage Mid Performance Amid Health Scare," The Daily Caller, April 7, 2025.
• Staff, "Ronnie Dunn, Brooks & Dunn member, walks offstage mid-song," Fox News, April 2025.
• Staff, "Brooks & Dunn singer walks off stage during encore, sparking health concerns," FOX 5 Atlanta, April 7, 2025.
• Staff, "Health Concerns Raised for Ronnie Dunn After Recent Show," Saving Country Music, April 5, 2025.
• Staff, "WATCH: Brooks & Dunn's Ronnie Dunn Walks Offstage Early, Battling Illness," Taste of Country, April 5, 2025.
• Staff, "Morgan Wallen Sets 21-Date Still The Problem Tour For '26," U.S. Bank Stadium, 2026.