Lady A’s Charles Kelley has thanked their fans for the outpouring of support he’s received since he revealed his sobriety battle.
The ‘Need You Now’ hitmakers – completed by Hillary Scott, 39, and Dave Haywood, 40 – made the difficult decision to delay the ‘Request Line Tour’, which was due to kick off on August 13, until next year as they throw their support behind Charles as he embarks on his journey to sobriety.
And the 40-year-old singer has admitted the words of “encouragement” have “really lifted” him during this challenging time.
Sharing a picture on vacation with his wife Cassie and their son Ward, six, he wrote on Instagram: “I want to thank everyone who has shown me so much support and encouragement so far on my journey of sobriety.
“Y’alls kind words have meant the world to me and really lifted me up over the past few weeks. I can’t wait to get back on the road with Lady A next year. Getting on that stage and being able to see, hear and feel everything through a clearer lens is going to be a gift that I won’t take for granted. I’m grateful for this time to focus on my family and my health. Love, Charles. (sic)”
In a social media statement posted last week, the band said: “Being on the road with our fans is our greatest joy, so it was a hard but important decision to make.
“We are a band, but more importantly… we’re family. We’re proud to say that Charles has embarked on a journey to sobriety.”
Back in 2020, the band formerly known as Lady Antebellum announced they were changing their name in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, as the word Antebellum has associations with slavery in the US.
They then got into a legal spat with the Blues singer Lady A – but the case was settled out of court earlier this year.
The “terms of the agreement, including who can continue to use what name or if any money changed hands, were not made public.”