Jesse Keith Whitley, son of country stars Keith Whitley and Lorrie Morgan, is sharing his journey to sobriety following a recent medical crisis.
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In a Dec. 28 Facebook post, the 38-year-old shared that he is now sober and focused on his faith. This comes one month after a hospitalization for pancreatitis (a diagnosis he revealed in the comments section to his Facebook post) and 36 years after his father’s death from alcohol poisoning.
“A month ago today I was in a pretty rough spot health wise and faith wise… That night, I ended up in the emergency room. It was serious,” Jesse wrote.
The “I Went Crazy for a While” singer shared that he was bedridden for a week and in “the worst pain” of his life. During that time, he promised to stick with religion if he recovered. Jesse wrote that he has kept that promise, and his health is now “rock solid” along with his new sobriety.
“I feel fantastic waking up in the mornings not hurting or looking for the fix that afternoon,” he added.
Jesse went on to thank his wife, Kristen, for “taking care of me during my downtime and giving me the strength to get back on my feet and go head forth.” He also expressed gratitude to his children for “loving me at my rock bottom” and providing the “motivation to become the best father I can be.”
He also thanked his mother, 66, and his sister Morgan, 45, who “knew but didn’t know the battle I was actually fighting” and for “always loving me.”
Jesse Keith Whitley Spoke at His Father’s Country Music Hall of Fame Ceremony: “Best Sad Songs Ever”
Jesse spoke at the 2022 ceremony, where his father was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
“He’s got the best sad songs and love songs ever,” Jesse said per PEOPLE. “If you want a history lesson in country music, that’s who you need to listen to.”
In May, Lorrie Morgan, her son Jesse, and other family members visited Keith’s grave to commemorate the 36th anniversary of his passing.The visit occurred just weeks before Morgan was widowed again with the passing of Randy White, her husband of nearly 15 years.