How Lainey Wilson's Dad Brian Almost Lost His Life

Lainey Wilson almost lost her father after he went through a terribly serious medical complication. 

It's probably safe to say that Wilson's casual fans are familiar with her emotion-driven, thought-provoking catalog of country anthems, which includes songs such as "Dirty Looks," "Heart Like A Truck," and "Things A Man Oughta Know." However, Wilson recently joined the cast of "Yellowstone." According to IMDb, Lainey plays the role of Abby, who eventually becomes involved with a character named Ryan. And though this is Wilson's first time shooting scripted television, she's already had to film some super steamy scenes. In fact, she had to warn her parents before they were allowed to watch them! "I didn't really know what I was doing, but you go in there head-first," Lainey shared with USA Today. "I was going to give people their money's worth. I told my mommy and daddy, 'You might not want to watch this show.' I don't want to be on their prayer list." 

Unfortunately, as the publication mentioned, there would soon come a day when Wilson would have to help her father through a life-threatening situation.

In July 2022, Lainey Wilson asked her Instagram followers to reserve a few prayers for her father, per Country Now. Soon after, Wilson's sister shared some concerning details about his health status. "Update on dad: Last night the ENT confirmed dad has fungus," wrote Wilson's sister on Facebook (via Country Now). "The MRI showed that it had not spread to the brain, however [it] has invaded some capillaries." She continued, "In an attempt to get rid of the fungus, they have put him on antifungal medicine and he was scheduled to have surgery around noon today. That has since changed." Her father's condition was also complicated by diabetic ketoacidosis, but he eventually got the necessary surgery he needed.

Unfortunately, Wilson's father still wasn't in the clear yet, according to Wilsons's October Taste of Country interview. "He spent two months in a hospital from a fungal infection that completely took out the left side of his face," revealed Wilson. "They had to remove his eye and they had to remove some bones in face. He had a stroke on top of all of that. He had nine surgeries in a month and a half. He's not supposed to be here."

Lainey Wilson is a "Yellowstone" star now, but she almost flaked out on her filming obligation because of her father's failing health. According to People, however, Wilson's father forbade her from using his illness as an excuse to not continue with her role. "He opened his eyes and said, 'Did I hear that you're not going out to film Yellowstone?' I said, 'Daddy, I can't leave you.' He said, 'You better go, and you better not come back until the job is done,'" shared Wilson. As Wilson mentioned in her USA Today interview, he also said, "'I don't care if it's my funeral. If you have a job to be done, you better go do it. And don't come back until it's finished,'" she said. 

Even though everything worked out for the best, Wilson has no plans to give up her musical career. "I will never not make songwriting my priority because the songwriting is what has given me all the rest of these opportunities," Wilson recently commented to Us Weekly. Still, Wilson is hoping to return for more episodes of "Yellowstone." "They kind of did set up the end [of the first half of season 5] to where I could come back or I didn't have to come back — one of those open-ended things," shared Wilson with Variety. "But I'm like, "Put me in, coach! Let's do it. Let me share some more music.'"