Walker Hayes on daughter Oakleigh, grief and sobriety

During a recent appearance on the 'K-Love Morning Show,' 45-year-old country singer Walker Hayes discussed the loss of his seventh child, daughter Oakleigh, who was born and died on the same day on June 6, 2018. He said he was two-and-a-half years sober at the time and recalled coming home from the cemetery after her funeral feeling ready "to just ... self-destruct." Hayes recounted driving to a bar called 55 South and thinking "I'm gonna get a little buzz and I'm going to just mess with those guys. I'm just gonna get in a fight with those guys," but realized he did not have his wallet and drove home. Seeing his wife, Laney, alone at their house, he said, "My wife, sadly, was just sitting by herself, on the day she's buried her daughter. My kids are I don't know where, and she's just in the dark," and that "We were gonna have to start the rehab process all over, you know, and go back to square one." Hayes said, "I need a savior." He also discussed his sobriety on his 2024 album "Sober Thoughts," noted his past struggles with alcoholism, and has spoken about getting sober on "Today with Hoda and Jenna."