Walker Hayes Opens Up About Losing His Daughter And The Day He Nearly Broke His Sobriety
Walker Hayes Opens Up About Sobriety (Instagram/@klovemorningshow)
Walker Hayes Opened Up About A Very Personal Story Of Loss & Sobriety
In June 2018, country singer Walker Hayes and his wife Laney lost their newborn daughter, Oakleigh, due to a uterine rupture, an event that nearly took Laney’s life as well. At that time, Hayes had also been sober for nearly three years.
He recently shared how the entire ordeal nearly cost his sobriety on the day she was tragically buried.
“My wife and I lost our seventh child, Oakleigh,” Hayes shared. “The day we lost our daughter, I was two and a half years sober.”
Hayes said following the burial, he wanted to desperately go back to his old ways.
“I immediately came home from the cemetery, and drove downtown Franklin to just go, to just self destruct.”
The singer shared how he had forgotten his wallet, and when he went back home the gravity of what he was about to do hit him hard. He opened up about how in that moment he knew he needed a saviour to help him overcome his sin.
Hayes Credits His Friend, Craig, To Helping Him Stay Sober
Hayes credits his faith and his good friend, Craig, who he even wrote a song about, in helping him avoid relapsing that day.
Hayes considered himself an atheist before he met Craig. In an interview, the singer revealed the reason for his religious stance: his dad was a former music minister giving Walker an up-close view of the hurt in the church.
“My dad was a former music minister before he was a real-estate agent. You know, I saw a lot of hurt in that church,” he said.
At the time, Walker Hayes was struggling, he had just been dropped from his record label and was battling full-blown alcoholism. He openly admits that he was drunk the first time he met Craig at church, a moment he later immortalized in his song “Craig,” even noting that he “smelled like beer.”
Despite that rocky introduction, the two families quickly connected and eventually became neighbors. Over time, their friendship deepened, becoming a powerful testament to grace, acceptance, and second chances. Walker and Craig later co-authored a book titled Glad You’re Here, which shares the remarkable story of their friendship and how God’s goodness and grace transformed their lives.
Hayes had recently had their family vehicle repossessed after a series of unfortunate events, and the family of eight was left with a sedan that only seated five people. This family was struggling when, according to the song written for Craig, he showed up at a baseball game where the Hayes family was and gifted them a mini van.
Listen to Walker Hayes’ song “Craig” below.
The Adorable Hayes Family
Hayes and his wife Laney have seven children, three sons and four daughters. Their sons are named Chapel, Baylor, and Beckett. The couple’s daughters are named Lela, Loxley, Everly and Oakleigh.
The country star frequently shares moments with his family on social media, and they’ve even appeared in his music videos. His viral hit “Fancy Like” was boosted by a TikTok dance video he performed with his daughter Lela.
Hayes often mentions how much his wife and children mean to him, admitting to Southern Living that he takes them everywhere.
“It’s all of us. I mean it’s the dogs and the kids and it’s a lot. But we wouldn’t have it any other way. We just love being together. And I know these times aren’t going to last forever. My kids are going to grow up and do their own thing and hopefully they’ll come back and visit or maybe we’ll go visit them. But we are soaking up just being an entire family unit as much as we can,” Hayes said.
