Gavin DeGraw Hospitalized Ahead of Important Event

Singer Gavin DeGraw was reportedly so sick earlier this month that he was briefly hospitalized. He missed a gala event for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Collin County, Texas on Oct. 15. DeGraw, 45, released his latest album in May and is best known for his debut single "I Don't Want to Be."

In September, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Collin County announced DeGraw would be performing at their annual Chrysalis Ball, which had an "Enchanted Masquerade" theme this year. Unfortunately, DeGraw was unable to make it. His team told TMZ on Oct. 23 that DeGraw was sick and could not make it. Sources told the site he was so sick that he was hospitalized. The singer's team said he has since made a full recovery and regretted having to cancel. He hopes to make good for his absence and work with the organization soon.

DeGraw's performance was part of the Boys & Girls Club's first major in-person event since the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, which was why organizers were disappointed that he could not be there. Organizers spent $20,000 in production costs and they used the band they hired for the after-party in DeGraw's place, reports TMZ. DeGraw has already returned his appearance fee, but the organization will not be able to recover the production and rider costs.

Although DeGraw was not there, the charity ball went off without any other issues. The event raised over $1 million for the organization. The live auction even included an opportunity to dine with Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany.

"Our sincere appreciation to donors, corporate partners, and civic and community leaders for attending this soiree in support of the youth of Collin County," the Boys & Girls Club said in a statement. "Your investment in the lives of young people helps us to carry out our mission to enable all young people, especially those who need us the most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens." The group went on to call the event a "scintillating evening of grandeur, advocacy, and philanthropy."

DeGraw shot to fame in 2003 with his debut single "I Don't Want to Be" and his first album, Chariot. His other hits include "In Love With a Girl," "Best I Ever Had" and "She Sets the City on Fire." He earned a Grammy nomination for his 2013 song "We Both Know" from the movie Safe Haven. His new album, Face the River, was released in May and was recorded in Nashville.

Face the River is a tribute to DeGraw's parents. His mother Lynne died in 2017 from pancreatic cancer, while his father John died in 2020 after he was diagnosed with brain cancer. "These are my heroes. This is America," he told The Tennesseean in May. "This is a blue-collar, hard-working, underappreciated American story. Me looking at them, busting their a—, and doing everything they could on our behalf so that one day, their little nobody baby boy could go pursue his dream. It's just an honor to make the record."