Country Music Legend Reveals Injury

Crystal Gayle is opening up about a recent injury that’s forced her to pull out of public appearances and performances.

The 75-year-old country icon, who announced last month that she would not be able to attend the 2026 Your Roots Are Showing conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland, due to a torn meniscus, told PEOPLE that the injury had taken “a toll” on her both “mentally and physically.”

“These things happen and you don’t want it to,” the “A Long and Lasting Love” artist explained to the outlet in an interview published on Jan. 13, adding, “I’ve never had anything like this … mentally, you’re going through a ‘why me?’”

When it comes to her recovery hopes, Gayle said, “I know people have, and there are all different types of surgeries they do. So we’ll see what I’m going to do.” She added that she had been working with specialists to see what the best option was for her and her recovery, noting that “different doctors have different ideas of how to deal with it.”

“And I’m sure a lot of people out there have dealt with it and gone their own way and have their own suggestions. But it’s really … I’ll be doing things soon,” she continued, adding, “I can go and sit and sing, but it does put you in a different place mentally … it is harder to get around, but hopefully in the near future, it won’t be.”

Gayle was scheduled to perform alongside Amy Grant, Sugarland’s Kristian Bush, Wyatt Ellis and other international performers at the Your Roots Are Showing conference, but announced a week before the event that doctors had concerns about her travel.

“I was truly looking forward to coming to Belfast, singing a few songs, sharing some stories, and spending time with everyone. But my doctor tells me this knee isn’t ready for those overseas miles just yet,” Gayle said in a press release at the time, referencing her 1976 hit song as she assured, “I promise I’ll be Ready for the Times to Get Better — just not at 30,000 feet next week. Thank you for your understanding, and I hope we can make it up to you soon.”

Following the cancellation announcement, Gayle told PEOPLE she was looking forward to being able to do things with her 5-year-old grandson as she recovered.

“Being able to do a little bit more activity with him would be great. But he’s very careful. He says, ‘Your knee hurts,’” Gayle shared, adding that despite her recent setback, she feelts “lucky” for her life today.

“I’ve had a great career. I’ve had so many wonderful people behind me, behind the scenes, as well as people coming to the concerts,” she said. “And I feel very lucky.”