Ray Stevens, 87, recovering at home after breaking neck in Nashville fall

Country Music Hall of Fame member Ray Stevens is recovering at home after breaking his neck in a fall in Nashville on March 29, his publicist confirmed.

The 87-year-old two-time Grammy Award winner was briefly hospitalized in the Nashville area before returning home to recover. Doctors advised Mr. Stevens to wear a neck brace for approximately four weeks. Despite the injury, he remains fully mobile and in good spirits.

Mr. Stevens, born Harold Ray Ragsdale, has been active in the music industry since 1957, releasing dozens of albums over more than six decades. The Country Music Hall of Fame describes him as “among the Nashville recording industry’s most talented, versatile, and inventive forces,” noting that while he may be known as the “Clown Prince of Country Music” for his novelty hits, “his list of talents is even more impressive.”

The circumstances of the fall were not disclosed.

Mr. Stevens was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019 and won two Grammy Awards, including one for his 1971 hit “Everything Is Beautiful.” He is also widely recognized for the novelty song “The Streak.”

The neck injury is the latest in a string of recent health setbacks for the veteran entertainer. In early July 2025, Mr. Stevens was hospitalized after experiencing chest pain and later underwent a minimally invasive heart catheterization procedure at a Nashville hospital. He subsequently had a second procedure a few weeks later, during which doctors placed two stents to treat additional blockages.

Despite the injury, Mr. Stevens’ upcoming album remains on schedule. His new record, “Favorites Old & New,” is set for release Friday through Curb Records, combining his renditions of classics such as “The Look of Love,” “It Had To Be You” and “Come Rain or Come Shine” with new original material.

“I had a lot of fun creating this album,” Mr. Stevens said in a statement. “It really does contain a few of my favorite old songs as well as favorite new ones penned by some talented writers.”

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