Country music star, 28, opens up about living with ‘fatal’ disease

It has been a “crazy, crazy health year” for country music singer Ashley Cooke.

The 28-year-old, best known for her 2023 hit single “Your Place,” recently opened up to E! News about dealing with a slew of tough diagnoses for both her and her family.

“My dad had cancer for the fifth time,” she told the outlet “My mom had a heart attack. Both of my grandmothers passed away. My sister had stuff with her thyroid that she’s been posting about, too.”

Cooke also opened up about her own battle with Brugada syndrome, which she first revealed on social media in July.

“I was diagnosed with Brugada syndrome, which a lot of my dad’s side of the family has,” Cooke told E! News. “The toughest part is that I’m still learning about it every day. I really don’t know as much as I’d like to know, because there really isn’t a ton that we can know.”

Brugada syndrome is a rare condition that can be life-threatening and there is “an increased risk of irregular heart rhythms beginning in the lower chambers of the heart,” according to the Mayo Clinic. The condition can cause fainting, as well as sudden cardiac arrest.

Cooke told E! News that Brugada is “the kind of syndrome that nothing really affects you until it does and it’s fatal.

She continued, “A lot of people on my dad’s side, they’ve unfortunately — out of nowhere without even knowing they had it — had a cardiac episode and they were gone.”

The singer added that the scariest part of being diagnosed with Brugada disease is “there’s really nothing to do or not do about it. It’s just something I’m living with.”

“It’s just one of those things that I have, and I just know that could be something that takes me someday,” Cooke continued.

While the musician recognizes the rather bleak prognosis, she decides to look on the bright side. Cooke told E! News she will “live a long, happy, healthy life” and focus on living in the moment.