11 Heartbreaking Country Songs About Cancer

Cancer has touched so many lives in the country music community, it’s only natural that a whole lot of songs have been written on this devastating topic.

Some of the songs on this list are personal. In fact, Maren Morris and Carly Pearce each wrote a song about the same late loved one, a beloved music industry member who died tragically young after battling a rare form of brain cancer.

You’ll also find story songs with powerful messages to convey. In Tim McGraw‘s submission, he tells the story of a man who beat the odds — and learned something very important about life in the process.

Kenny Chesney has a song to share about a man who isn’t so lucky. He loses his wife to her cancer battle, but the lessons imparted to him via grief ultimately give him the clarity to change his life for the better.

From bereaved to triumphant, supportive to harrowingly bleak, these 11 songs speak to a wide range of different cancer experiences. Whether you’re celebrating remission, grieving a loved one or facing a cancer battle yourself, this list of songs shines a spotlight on one of life’s most common and devastating illnesses.