How Playing A Concert With George Strait Nearly Claimed Willie Nelson’s Life
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At 93 years old, country music legend Willie Nelson has added another accomplishment to his storied career: releasing his 14th book, The Last Leaf: Reflections on Late-Life Creativity–and My Longest Love Affair, on November 10.
Across its 187 pages, Nelson reflects on the last 13 years of his life, using his signature wit and honesty to explore aging, love, and loss. He opens up about the grief of losing so many of his closest friends, comparing himself to the last leaf on a tree — still hanging on, but not quite ready to fall.
The book also revisits some of the most memorable stories from Nelson’s life and career, including how he earned the nickname “Shotgun Willie,” his well-publicized battle with the IRS, and several stories he has never shared publicly before.
But at the heart of the book is something even more personal. In the introduction, Nelson reveals the true inspiration behind the title’s subtitle, writing, “The back bone of this book is a love story. The heroine is my wife, Annie.”
Willie & Family Take On COVID
In January 2020, Willie looked at his calendar and saw that he was booked solid through May. However, as we now know, he wouldn’t end up playing all of those scheduled dates. Annie had been closely monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak and began preparing for the possibility of quarantine by stocking up on food, prescriptions, and other household necessities.
Willie Nelson and Family performed at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on March 4, and Annie told Willie that it needed to be their last show for the foreseeable future. In fact, she didn’t even want him to perform because the event was indoors. Willie agreed, and the family returned to their Texas ranch.
Shortly afterward, COVID-19 brought the entertainment industry and much of the world to a standstill. For the next nine months, Annie, Willie, their sons Lukas and Micah, and Micah’s wife, Alex, quarantined together.
“I had never been stuck in one place for so long, not since I was a kid,” Willie writes in the book.
Annie took charge of keeping everyone safe, handling the shopping, sanitizing, and making sure the family followed all the necessary health protocols.
Meanwhile, Willie and his sons spent much of their time songwriting. The country legend also continued recording music, eventually releasing an album titled A Beautiful Time on April 29, 2022, his 89th birthday.
The same day as the album release, Willie was scheduled to perform at the grand opening of the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The event presented a new challenge for Annie, who was still concerned about COVID-19, particularly because the venue was indoors.
She begged Willie not to accept the invitation, but he was convinced the worst of the pandemic was behind them. He explained his decision to her, saying, “George Strait asked me directly to play it and I said yes.”
Looking back, Willie admitted just how serious that decision turned out to be.
“Winning that argument damn near cost me my life,” he wrote.
Willie Played The Show Against Annie’s Wishes And Caught COVID
The performance went off without a hitch, bringing two Texas legends together on stage. Willie and George Strait performed “Pancho and Lefty” as well as their duet, “Sing One With Willie.” George also sang “Happy Birthday” to Willie.
RELATED: George Strait and Willie Nelson Perform Grand Opening Of The Moody Center
However, just hours later, on May 4, Willie began experiencing symptoms and struggled to breathe. He was in Nashville at the time, working on another album, and his condition quickly became a serious concern.
Annie had already prepared for this possibility. She had a nebulizer running in the back of the bus and kept oxygen on hand for Willie. She also managed to get him a prescription for Paxlovid. As they made their way back to Austin, she arranged for their doctor to meet them and administer antibodies.
Annie later revealed that she had spent months preparing for the possibility that Willie might contract COVID. She knew she would need to have everything they needed available on the road or at home. Taking him to a hospital was not an option she wanted to consider, both because of the lack of privacy and her concerns about exposing him to additional illnesses through close contact with other patients.
Once they made it home, all they could do was wait for the medications to take effect.
“All I can remember is feeling excruciating pain in every cell of my body,” Willie recalled.
His condition became so frightening that he even told his wife, “Annie, you need to let me go.”
But Annie wasn’t having it. She replied, “Willie, if you die, I’ll kill you.”
Willie later explained that he responded, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a minute,” as he was already thinking about reincarnation. Annie, however, wasn’t interested in entertaining that idea.
The next two weeks were “utter hell,” Willie recalled.
During that time, he asked Annie to let him die once again. This time, she came back with another threat, telling him that if he died, she would spend every last penny he had.
Willie laughed at her response, and that was the moment Annie knew he was going to be okay.
Despite Recovering, Willie Still Has COVID-Related Issues
Because of his age and underlying health conditions, COVID-19 took a tremendous toll on Willie. Even years after his initial battle with the virus, he continues to deal with long COVID and has had to make adjustments to his lifestyle so he can remain comfortable while performing.
For the first time in his decades-long career, Willie had to start sitting down for his entire shows. It wasn’t something he particularly enjoyed at first, but he realized it was the only way he could make it through a performance.
Eventually, he grew to appreciate the change, finding that sitting on stage created a more intimate atmosphere. His concerts began to feel more like a jam session among friends.
Offstage, Willie is often seen wearing an oxygen cannula to help him breathe. When it’s time to perform, he walks onstage with it, takes his seat between his sons, Lukas and Micah, and removes it before the show begins.
As soon as the performance is over, he puts it right back on.
Despite everything his body had been through, Willie worked to rebuild his strength and performed more than 60 shows in 2022. That’s an incredible accomplishment for any musician, especially someone who came so close to losing his life just months earlier.
In the introduction to The Last Leaf, Willie makes it clear that the book is about much more than his career or his battle with COVID. At its heart, it’s a tribute to the woman who helped him survive.
“The backbone of this book is a love story. The heroine is my wife, Annie, who kept me alive when I was sure I was gone. COVID nearly got me. I was hurting so bad I wanted out. But Annie wouldn’t let me go. The years I’ve lived since then are because of Annie.”
To read more from The Last Leaf, purchase your own copy from his personal website here for $30, or purchase on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, and other book retailers here.
