As the CMA Prepares to Honor Vince Gill, Folks Are Asking What Is Wrong With the Country Star

Country music legend Vince Gill will be the recipient of the 2025 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award in Nashville, Tenn., on Nov. 19, and news of his honor has his fans talking about his recent health issues. According to CBS6 News, a special performance for Vince will take place at the 59th annual CMA Awards in Bridgestone Arena, and the show will be hosted by Lainey Wilson.

The CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award honors musicians who've had success with their contributions to the country music world. Previous CMA Lifetime Achievement Award winners include Dolly Parton, George Strait, Johnny Cash, Charlie Pride, Kris Kristofferson, and, of course, the one and only Willie Nelson. News of Vince's honor amid his recent health issues has people asking what is wrong with him.

Vince missed the CMAs back in 2018 over a health issue. According to The Oklahoman, the singer was hospitalized due to a kidney stone, and he'd been scheduled to perform in a tribute for Country Music Hall of Famer Ricky Skaggs, but Keith Urban filled in for the 22-time Grammy Award winner.

Country singer John Osborne also filled in for Vince in the show and joked about the singer's kidney stone being good for him.

"Vince Gill, unfortunately, was in the hospital – he has a kidney stone," he said. "So, Vince Gill’s kidney stone was the best thing that ever happened to me!”

The Oklahoma native has won 18 CMA Awards and sold more than 30 million records, and CMA Chief Executive Officer Sarah Trahern called the "When I Call Your Name" artist a "trailblazer."

“Vince embodies the very best of what Country Music stands for,” she said.

"He’s a true trailblazer, one who gives back to the community, honors the roots of our genre, and even now, continues to share his talent with fans across the globe," she continued. "As a Country Music Hall of Fame member, 18-time CMA Award winner, and former 12-time CMA Awards host, he remains a vibrant force in our industry, and we’re honored to celebrate an artist whose influence is so deeply woven into the fabric of our format."

Vince has been married to musician Amy Grant for 25 years, and he opened up about the couple's struggles with People back in 2024. Amy had open-heart surgery, throat surgery, shoulder surgery, and a brain injury beginning in 2020, and Vince said of her illnesses, "It was just one thing after another after another."

Amy was diagnosed with a rare congenital defect that affects blood flow to the heart called PAPVR (partial anomalous pulmonary venous return), and had surgery during the pandemic.

"I couldn’t be there for surgery, and I had to come home,” he remembered. "And that was tough."

Amy fell while riding her bike in 2022 and was knocked unconscious, even though she was wearing her helmet. The fall resulted in a brain injury that required her to be hospitalized, and in 2023, Amy had a cyst surgically removed from her throat, and she had to relearn how to sing. She also needed shoulder surgery, and the recovery from the brain surgery was "depressing" as she missed gigs.

"It was really depressing,” said Amy. "Everything was canceled, and I just said, ‘What if I’m never all the way back?’"

Amy still deals with some memory loss, but she is touring again and released a holiday album with Vince in 2024, "When I Think Of Christmas."

The CMA Awards will air live on ABC on Nov. 19.