Tim McGraw shares personal fight with cancer, including dad’s death and mom’s remission

Inspired by loved ones who battled cancer, country music star Tim McGraw knows how to “Live Like You Were Dying.”

The song, that was inspired by McGraw’s dad who died from cancer in 2004, was the first in his many years of advocacy for the disease that also tried to take the life of his mom and other family members.

McGraw continues to lend his voice as the ambassador of Stand Up to Cancer and recently, he made it possible for a father, who’s dying of cancer, to be at the future weddings of his two young daughters.

Keep reading to learn more about McGraw’s fight to end cancer!

Tim McGraw fans will never forget when he collapsed on stage in 2018, right after he performed the song, “Humble and Kind.”

After 20 minutes, his wife, fellow country star Faith Hill, stepped out on stage and announced to concert goers that “He’s been super dehydrated, and I apologize. But I made the decision that he cannot come back out onstage.”

Luckily, it was only dehydration behind his medical episode, but his family members have not had the same fortune.

His dad, Frank “Tug” McGraw–the pitcher with MLB teams the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies–was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor, and was only 59 when he died in 2004.

Now 56, McGraw–who only learned at 11 that the famous ball player he idolized was his biological father–said the two shared a special bond.

“I think a lot of people don’t realize I didn’t grow up with Tug,” he said of his dad who coined the rallying cry “Ya Gotta Believe!” Explaining that he found his birth certificate while digging through old things, the singer of “It’s Your Love” said it “was very confusing” but knowing his dad was a star athlete, made him realize he could accomplish anything.

“It changed what I thought I could do with my life coming from the circumstances I came from. I felt like when I found that out, you know, he’s a professional baseball player who’s successful, to me, it made me think that blood is in my veins, so that ability is in there.” McGraw continued, “So I found sort of that grit inside me that he must have had in order to succeed at what he did. And it changed what I thought I could make out of my life.”

His 2004 Grammy Award-winning album, “Live Like You Were Dying,” is dedicated to his father, with the title track becoming the top country song on the Billboard year-end charts.

When the singer of “One of These Days” was just a little boy, he also watched his mom

Betty Trimble–who had a brief affair with Tug when she was 18–fight breast cancer when she was 27. Trimble has been in remission since.  

“My mom’s been through a lot of adversity and stuck by me when nobody else would,” McGraw said. “She has always encouraged me to sing.”

Along with the support of his mom, and his father before his death, the multiple award-winning country singer is the father of three beautiful girls, has overcome addiction, topped the charts with his music and is also an actor, most recently appearing in the TV series 1883 with his wife.

And he’s still active advocate for people living with cancer.