George Strait ‘All Good’ After Knee Replacement Surgery

George Strait has revealed that he recently underwent knee surgery, telling Billboard via email in a new interview that he had the procedure done just before quarantine began. “I had a knee replaced right before the quarantine,” he said. “I had been planning that for a while. It went very well but I had to rehab on my own due to the obvious conditions. I’m ready to go again now though. All good.”

He might be ready to go, but right now, there’s not many places to go due to the pandemic. Last week, Strait postponed two planned summer stadium shows to 2021, and admitted he is dealing with not being able to play live “not very well.”

“I took almost two years off after The Cowboy Rides Away Tour [which ended in 2014],” he said. “I did that on purpose. I wasn’t ready for this. I was really enjoying playing again at a pace I could handle. To have this horrible thing come up and slap us all right in the face really sucks. I can’t wait to play with my band again in front of thousands of people. I’m addicted to that.

While he’s off the road, Strait shared that he has been “spending a lot of time, like everyone, at home with family.” He’s also come up with some ideas for new music, though he has not finished any. “I have not completed anything, but have jotted down a lot of ideas that I think could possibly work into a song at some point,” the 68-year-old shared. “I took one of our live versions of ‘You Wreck Me’ by the late and great Tom Petty and sent it to his channel on Sirius radio to see if they might play it. I’m very proud to say that they are. My band was amazing on that song. I’m a huge Petty fan.”

Strait also offered some advice to fans on how to cope with quarantine, telling them to “get out when you can,” adding how it’s important to try and not make staying in a habit. “Talk to your friends often. FaceTime is better,” he said. “If you see someone struggling, step in and talk to them. Often. Let them know that you are there for them if they need you. This is going to be over at some point and we’re going to be back to the way things were a couple months ago. I really believe that. It will take a little time but we can do it. Keep your chin up. Pray hard.”