Country singer Joshua Ray Walker has reached out for support after revealing a significant turn in his battle with cancer. In an emotional Instagram post on Tuesday, Sept. 10, Walker shared that while he had completed chemotherapy for Stage 3B colon cancer, follow-up tests uncovered multiple cancerous nodes in both of his lungs.
“Before I started chemo, I was told I had a 90% chance of being cancer-free after treatment,” Walker wrote. “To find new growth in a different organ was something I was not prepared for.” The news likely means his cancer will be reclassified as Stage 4, he added, with a lung biopsy and radiation treatment on the horizon.
Despite the grim update, Walker remains optimistic. “The odds have shifted, but I’m not sharing them here. It seems defeatist and unnecessary. I’ll let you know after I beat them,” he wrote, vowing to keep living life to the fullest.
Known for songs like “Lot Lizard,” “Sexy After Dark,” and “Thank You For Listening,” Walker has garnered acclaim, even landing on Rolling Stone’s “Best of 2021” list and being hailed as “one of country’s most exciting storytellers” by Spin magazine. He has also impressed audiences with his covers of artists like Whitney Houston, Lizzo, and Cher.
Walker’s cancer diagnosis came in January 2024, and a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help cover his living costs and out-of-pocket medical expenses as he continues his fight against the disease.