Tracy Lawrence Reflects On Being Shot Four Times In 1991 And The Lasting Effects He Still Faces Today

Tracy Lawrence reveals he is still battling with the mental and physical effects of a traumatic event that he experienced more than three decades ago. Now, he’s telling his story in hopes of encouraging others to seek help rather than let mental health struggles go unaddressed.

In May of 1991, the country star was early into his career and working on his debut album, Sticks and Stones, which would go on to be released later that year. One night in the spring season he was walking his girlfriend back to her hotel in Nashville when they were mugged by multiple attackers carrying weapons. Lawrence ended up getting shot four times and survived, but had to endure major surgery to remove the bullets. 

Looking back, he tells Fox News Digital that he felt angry at the time, almost as if those responsible were trying to “take my opportunity away from me.” Instead of seeking help to try and work through the trauma he faced, the country singer “suppressed it and shoved it down” for many years.

This way of handling things would end up causing him a lot of issues in both his personal relationships and in his career years down the road. Knowing this now, Lawrence hopes to use his story to warn people about the consequences that can come from neglecting your mental health.  

“I’m a big believer in taking care of your mental health these days, and I didn’t do that at the time. That was a very traumatic experience for me.”

He continued, “I try to make it a point when people bring that up, and I talk about it now to make people aware that one of the most important things you can do when you go through something like that is to talk to somebody about it. Don’t suppress it. Purge that thing out and get it out and deal with it and confront it, because if you don’t, eventually it’s going to come out in a way that you can’t control.”

After the incident, the “Paint Me A Birmingham” singer spent several days hospitalized at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Surgeons removed a bullet from his knee but left another lodged in his hip. During this time, Lawrence admits he feared his leg might have to be amputated.

He has since undergone a total knee replacement and still struggles with residual issues around his ankle, which will likely lead him to get surgery by the end of this year.

“Once I got past the realization that I wasn’t going to die, the next thing that I worried about was, was I going to lose my leg… I didn’t know how severe the bullet impact was on my leg because I got shot right through the joint in my left knee,” Lawrence recalls.

The year this tragedy struck him, Tracy Lawrence was already making a name for himself in the music industry. He admits his relationship with faith has had its ups and downs over the years, but his beliefs and his love for music is what has kept him moving forward. He now considers himself “blessed” to have found something he’s so passionate about at a young age and is able to love today, more than 45 years later.

“I think I’ve started this dream when I was about 12 years old. And I just turned 58 and still love it and am as passionate about it now as much as I was when I was a kid. I think that’s a pretty rare thing.”

“I’m still a struggling Christian, and it’s something that I counsel with my pastor on a regular basis about. But I know that God’s always there. He’s had his hand on me since I was a little child and I’ve been blessed to have a lot of prayer warriors,” Lawrence continues. “My mother and ladies from the church where I grew up, and even people in my life today that are praying for me constantly. I feel very blessed to have them in my life. It’s definitely had an impact on my relationship with God.”

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Both Lawrence and fans are eager to catch him out on the road this year, bringing his catalog of hits to stages throughout the No Alibis Tour. He feels it is a “good time” to return to touring as a way to connect with both fans from the early days of his career who he hasn’t seen in about 25 years.

The trek launches in March and is scheduled to continue with shows through August, including his hometown performance at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.