Brooks & Dunn‘s Ronnie Dunn is battling an illness. He tried to power through the duo’s show in Indianapolis, Ind. on Friday night (Apr. 3), but he couldn’t quite make it to the finish line.
During Brooks & Dunn’s time onstage that night, fans noticed that Dunn was flagging. His usually-robust voice cracked during some of the high notes, and some noted on social media that the singer seemed “winded” during the show.
He also spent some time sitting down during the duo’s performance of “Rock My World (Little Country Girl).” Video posted to TikTok shows Brooks seated on the risers behind his microphone stand, coming up to stand beside his band mate Kix Brooks and sing when he felt able.
But ultimately, Dunn had to call it a night early.
During the encore — a performance of “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” — Dunn was at his mic belting out the first verse, but by the time they reached the chorus, he knew he had to call it quits. “Sing it if you know it,” he told the crowd, before turning to his guitarist and seemingly making a gesture that suggested he had no more to give that show.
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He walked up to the front of the stage to wave goodnight to the crowd, patting his chest as if to say that his voice had given out. Then, he turned around and left.
The band didn’t address the moment further, though a since-expired story posted to their Instagram page confirmed that they were ready for their show the following night in Peoria, Ill. Dunn was back onstage for that concert.
It’s not clear exactly what was ailing Dunn in Indianapolis. During their mid-March set at the Houston Rodeo, he was still recovering from a double whammy: A bout of COVID-19 and a round of strep throat.
“We call it ‘strovid,'” he said at the time, according to the Houston Press.
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On Instagram, Dunn also confirmed that those shows had been difficult due to his illnesses, saying he “had to fight” to get through them and “the flu and strep aren’t a singer’s friend.”
The 71-year-old singer has battled other health issues recently, too. In December, he injured his knee skiing, and his daughter said on social media that he had a “knee replacement” to address his injury. He had to take an eight-week break from performing.
PICTURES: See Inside Ronnie Dunn’s Spectacular Southern Manor Home
Ronnie Dunn lived in true Southern style in his manor home in Nashville. Dunn’s 6-bedroom, 7-bathroom, 10,898-square-foot mansion in a high-dollar part of Music City featured a horse barn, a riding ring and the most top-flight amenities, all situated on 16 gated, very private acres.
Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker
