Carly Pearce Reveals Heart Condition, Says Upcoming Tour Dates Will ‘Look a Little Different’
Country star Carly Pearce took to social media Thursday morning to reveal that she has been diagnosed with a heart condition, pericarditis, and that while she plans to fulfill the upcoming dates on a current tour, her performances will be toned down due to doctor’s orders.
“We have all decided that it is in my best interest as I’m healing to alter my shows a little bit,” Pearce said in a video posted on social media. “So if my shows look a little bit different, just know it’s because I have to keep my heart rate under control right now. And the doesn’t mean I’m not going to be completely fine, it just means right now I’ve got to really take this seriously.” She asked fans for “a little bit of grace” as she re-tunes her performances to account for her condition.
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What Pearce’s modified stage routine might look like will be on view tonight, when her stint opening for Tim McGraw in arenas resumes in Toledo after a 12-day break. It’s slated to continue for another month, including a date at L.A.’s Forum on June 28, wrapping up in Sacramento the following night.
The singer has a new album, “Hummingbird,” out June 7 on Big Machine, two days before she appears on the main stage at the CMA Festival in Nashville. Aside from some summer festival dates, Pearce isn’t currently scheduled to do a headline tour behind the new album until early 2025.
In a post titled “Health update,” Pearce told fans, “I have always been transparent and honest about every part of my life, so I feel like this deserves the same honesty. You guys know that I’ve been dealing with some health issues, and through that, I have developed something called pericarditis, which is a heart issue. And I’ve been working with doctors and talking to my cardiologist, and I still want to be out on the road.”
Pearce reassured fans that “if you’re coming to the shows, if you are going to be a part of any of the amazing things we have going on with ‘Hummingbird,’ it is all going to be great. It just might look a little different. So, I’m asking for a little bit of grace. And truly, more importantly, if any of you are dealing with any kind of health stuff, or aren’t — I’m a young, healthy person that really watches what I eat and exercises, and this happened to me… I just want to use my platform to tell you to take care of your body and listen to it. And just know that if it’s trying to tell you something, it’s gonna tell you.”
Pericarditis is defined by the Mayo Clinic as “swelling and irritation of the thin, saclike tissue surrounding the heart.” The condition “often causes sharp chest pain” that may feel indistinguishable from a heart attack. Fluid buildup can lead to serious complications. The clinic says mild forms of the condition may go away on their own, while more serious or advanced forms will call for treatment with medication or, in rarer instances, surgery.
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