Country Singer’s Faith Brought ‘Peace’ After Stroke Almost Killed Him

Published: April 23, 2026

By Movieguide® Staff

Country singer Drake White opened up about the 2019 hemorrhagic stroke that almost killed him.

“We just took the stage in Roanoke, Virginia. It was probably 98 degrees and cotton candy skies, beautiful, 2,500 people out there. And I tore into three or four songs and I just felt a tick,” White told Fox News. “And I felt my left arm, my fingers tingling, kind of numbness. And then I heard a, I call it a gunshot. It literally sounded like an audible gunshot behind my left ear. And when it snapped, if you look at the video back you can see me trying to push through it.”

He continued, “I grew up in Alabama where you just kind of keep pushing, keep going, and I tried to do that, and I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t think, and the cotton candy sky became the grass, and the grass became the sky. Everything flipped upside down… Everything slowed way down, and it just felt like I was walking in quicksand, and everything was heavy. My left arm was heavy, my left foot was heavy, and I knew right then, I was like, ‘Well, dang, I’m having a stroke.’”

White has previously been diagnosed with a rare brain condition called arteriovenous malformation (AVM) and undergone four surgeries. Doctors warned him that there was the possibility of a rupture, and if it happened, “would have a very good chance of, you know, death.”

The singer was rushed to the hospital, where a coagulant stopped the brain bleed and saved his life. However, doctors told him he “had a long road ahead” if he ever wanted to get back on stage or even walk again.

White leaned on his faith during this recovery period, explaining, “I am a man of faith. I believe in the Christian values. I believe in the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost. I believe all this. I choose to believe it…It gave me so much peace. It was the most peaceful I’ve ever been.”

He also credits an electrical stimulation device that helps him control the left side of his body.

“We’re here. It’s 2026. And no matter what the news says, this is the best time to be alive, because it’s the only time you have a choice,” White concluded. “This is not your choice. You’re alive now. And I chose the victor and not the victim. And that is a good place to be. And every now and then, I’ll get into the victim world and I have to get out of it. And that’s when faith and people come in.”

White often shares his story on social media. In one Instagram post, he wrote, “After my stroke in 2019, the left side of my body was paralyzed and I had to relearn how to walk at the age of 35. No one would believe that I’m able to do pull-ups now. My motivation to get better has always been my fans and the stage. I was born to help people through music and I’ve worked like hell to get to this point. We’re only going up from here!”