Rascal Flatts‘ Joe Don Rooney is setting the record straight about his life and revealing his decision to become sober.

The musician shared an update on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday, apologizing to his fans for his absence from his various social media pages.

“It’s actually been a couple years since I’ve engaged with fans and friends on Twitter (now X) or Instagram,” he wrote. “But I figured today, at the beginning of this brand new year 2024, would be a good day to send a message out to the world.”

“First off, I am alive!” he wrote, attempting to clear up the variety of “rumors and opinions” circulating about him, adding that he is “finally healthy and ready for the world.”

In the lengthy post, he shared how his life and career took a turn at 4 a.m. on September 9, 2021, when he “ran square into a tree and about killed myself.”

“I was drunk and I was so far gone with my life – I was completely out of control and finished with trying to fight the fears, depression and anxieties that had spun me out in a way I’ve never experienced before,” he wrote.

Rooney, 48, said that he’d had a drinking problem for many years by that point.

He cited pressure from his career, mistakes he had made in his “home life,” and “pain and trauma” from his childhood and early adult years as contributors to his lifestyle choices.

Rooney was formerly the lead guitarist and harmony singer for Rascal Flatts. The group, which also consisted of lead vocalist Gary LeVox and bassist and background vocalist Jay DeMarcus, officially disbanded in 2021 after a 22-year run.

You can read Rooney’s full statement on X now. 

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