COMEBACK MIRACLE!
Country legend has new album as he battles nerve disorder
COUNTRY king Alan Jackson is courageously launching a comeback with a new album after his stage career was derailed by a crippling disease that threatens to leave him in a wheelchair.
The superstar, who has a whopping 26 No. 1 songs, set out on a farewell tour last fall, but a muscular dystrophy– type nerve condition limited Jackson to perform just 11 of the 16 scheduled dates.
Now the I’ll Try singer, 64, reveals he’s stockpiling songs in advance of recording a new album, just his second in the past eight years.
“Alan’s health has suffered horribly — he has trouble walking and is prone to falls,” a friend says.
“He faces a future where he could be in a wheelchair and lose use of his limbs — but he still wants to go out on a high note and push forward for as long as he’s able.”
The friend notes Jackson is proud he writes his own songs, unlike many Nashville rivals. His creative juices are flowing and he’s convinced he still has another No. 1 hit in him, the source says.
“Alan says his medical condition — known as Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome — really shapes his songwriting now and has given him a new perspective,” the friend explains. “He knows this is likely his last album, so he wants to give it his all and feel that he did the best he can under horrible circumstances.”