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Justin Moore has spoken up about his health concerns in a fresh interview.
The country singer revealed that he experienced a close call with cancer when doctors discovered the medical condition that left him with a "fat neck".
Justin Moore feared he had cancer
During his Wednesday, August 19, appearance on Tracy Lawrence's TL's Road House podcast, Moore shared that he initially thought the growth on his neck could be something serious, but doctors determined it was benign fatty tissue.
He was advised against surgery that could have threatened his career.
Addressing his health issues that were not "life-threatening thankfully" the singer noted, "We thought it was called a lipoma. But it's just fat. It's benign, thank God. And they told me it would be very, very difficult to do surgery, and it may affect my singing, and even my speaking voice."
Moore said he was relieved to learn the growth was benign, though he was initially disappointed to hear doctors could not simply remove it.
"My wife and I were walking out of the hospital when I had an MRI or something and they had told us, 'Man, great news. It's benign, but there's really not anything we can do about it,'" he recalled.
The 42-year-old revealed that his wife, Kate, with whom he tied the knot in 2007 and share four children, helped him put the diagnosis in perspective.
"And my wife looked at me, she goes, 'If you just have a fat neck and you're here for the next 50 years, then shut up and stop complaining,'" Moore said.
Justin Moore's appearance sparks concern
Moore initially sparked concern as he opened for Riley Green's "As Good As It Gets Tour" in Virginia on August 8, when fans noticed the singer's appearance, according to fan-recorded video on TikTok.
In the podcast interview, the Small Town USA hitmaker also admitted that he had not been keeping up with his health before the scare, revealing that he had gone about 10 years without seeing a doctor until last year.
Moore, who hails from Poyen, Arkansas, has scored 11 No. 1s on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and won the ACM Award for New Artist of the Year in 2014.
The country star stepped away from touring earlier this summer and spent 30 days in rehab after his drinking "got out of control", he revealed during his July 9 show in Knoxville, Ill.
Fans will be able to see Justin Moore next in Westbury, NY, on October 29, and Montclair, NJ, on October 30.
