Is Morgan Wade OK? Country singer to undergo double mastectomy after testing positive for cancer gene
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: Morgan Wade has made a potentially life-saving decision. After testing positive for a gene mutation that puts her at a greater risk of developing breast cancer, the country singer has opted to have a prophylactic double mastectomy.
Morgan revealed to People that she learned the news while on tour in Stockholm. "I was like, 'OK, well, I know what I have to do,'" she explained. "I was given this knowledge and this information, so I’m not going to just sit there. I would rather have that peace of mind."
The 'Wilder Days' singer, who has previously stated that she "hates blood work," was initially hesitant to do the test. "I was like, 'I really don’t want to.' I complained. I was like, 'I don't have time.'"
But it turned out that she didn't require any needles; all she had to do was spit into a tube. Morgan's family has a cancer history.
When her mother, Robin Fonville, tested positive for the RAD51D gene mutation, she underwent a double mastectomy. After a cousin tested positive, Robin persuaded the 'The Night' singer to be tested.
Morgan has opted to undergo her surgery in November because her Around the World tour itinerary has her playing until late October.
Are Morgan Wade and Kyle Richards dating?
Morgan could see the reactions coming from a mile away before she published the music video for her current single, 'Fall in Love With Me'.
Kyle Richards' casting on 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' was intended to strike a chord with everyone online who believes they've been secretly dating each other—but the country star implied it in a wink-wink-nudge-nudge way to those trolls, not in the genuine way they've taken it.
"We’re friends. The Internet’s a dumb place," Morgan recently told People. Kyle was allegedly separated from her husband, Mauricio Umansky, according to the video for the 'Psychopath' single.
"We thought it would kind of be a good idea to poke fun at that and troll the trolls a little bit. The internet is going to be popping off about this one, I’m sure," Morgan said in a behind-the-scenes video. "Well, if they’re gonna talk, we might as well give them something to talk about," Kyle replied.
Morgan had never seen a single episode of Housewives until connecting with Kyle on Instagram.
When did Morgan Wade get sober?
It's been six years, but country singer Morgan recalls the exact moment she chose to stop drinking. Morgan was visiting New York City for the first time on that day—6/17/17, a date she now has tattooed on her arm—and a night of heavy drinking spurred her to alter her ways.
"I drank more than I've ever drank in my life," she said in last week's edition of PEOPLE. "I remember a hangover that lasted for a couple weeks. I was so depressed, I didn’t think I was going to make it out of that."
But, as it turns out, she did. Morgan never drank again after that day, but she acknowledged it wasn't always easy. The 'Wilder Days' singer said she sought advice from Russell Brand's book 'Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions,' and grew obsessed with sparkling water as an alcohol substitute.
Morgan claimed she did not come from a drinking family and began drinking at the age of 19 when she went to college. She was training to become a cardiothoracic surgeon at the time, but she rapidly discovered that she enjoyed the effects of alcohol.
Her drinking became worse as she became more concerned about music. Bar gigs meant free bar tabs, and she'd frequently go for a drink with her male bandmates.
Things eventually improved, and Morgan described her sobriety as a "big defining moment" in her life that has helped enhance both her relationships and her health.
Though the ACM-nominated star first worried that her sobriety would impair her ability to compose a good song, she now believes her songwriting is "so much better" than it was.
Who is Morgan Wade?
Morgan Wade cut a striking figure when she released her debut album, 'Reckless,' in 2021, with a dominating voice -- gruff and earthy, yet wearing wounds and scars that communicate vulnerability.
Morgan mixed her inspirations in a distinctive, emotionally transparent way, pitching her music somewhere between Americana and stadium rock, a space she crossed with partner Sadler Vaden, the guitarist in Jason Isbell's 400 Unit.
'Psychopath' was released in 2023, before her sophomore album.