Mark Chesnutt Hospitalized Before Baton Rouge Show

BATON ROUGE, La. (KMDL-FM) - Country singer Mark Chesnutt was supposed to be on stage at the Raising Cane's River Center in Baton Rouge last night as the opening act for Alabama's "Roll On II Tour," but he never made it on stage. Instead, the '90s hitmaker was hospitalized.

Mark Chesnutt Misses Baton Rouge Show After Hospitalization

No official information has been released as to the reason why Chesnutt was hospitalized. Officials with the River Center simply provided a notice saying the singer was admitted to a local hospital for medical reasons and that his band would play in his place.

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Fans Praise Band’s Performance in His Absence

And that they did. From those who attended the show, Mark's band did a commendable job performing in their singer's absence.

Singer Has Faced Multiple Health Challenges in Recent Years

Unfortunately, it has been a tough last few years for Chesnutt. In 2022, he took a break from touring to recover from back surgery. He was hospitalized again in 2023 for an undisclosed medical issue that required critical care. Then, in June 2024, it was reported that he underwent emergency quadruple bypass surgery.

Chesnutt Recently Celebrated Sobriety and Recovery

This spring, Chesnutt announced his "2025 Redemption Tour" in celebration of health, recovery, and sobrierty. The nearly 40-date tour kicked off May 3 in Texas.

“My surgery was a major major one,” Chesnutt explained at the time, explaining doctors scraped scar tissue off his nerves and that he now has two titanium rods in his back. “I couldn’t work. I was laid up, didn’t drive, couldn’t walk, couldn’t do anything.”

Rick Diamond, Getty Images for Country Thunder

Chesnutt told Music Row earlier this year that he took his final drink on November 1, 2023. Five months later he faced the emergency quadruple bypass surgery.

Mark Chesnutt, a native of Beaumont, Texas, has 14 No. 1s in his career with more than 12 million albums sold.