Country star Justin Moore, 42, shares shocking medical condition... after alarmed fans pointed out his 'FAT NECK'

Country star Justin Moore has spoken out about a scary medical condition that left him with a thicker neck and looking 'like a linebacker circa 1982.'

The 42-year-old Small Town USA singer, who announced he was taking time off from touring to focus on his health in June, revealed on Wednesday's episode of Tracy Lawrence's TL's Roadhouse podcast that he underwent a medical evaluation after detecting a buildup of fat around his neck.

Moore told Lawrence that he worried the growth might be cancer, but tests and an MRI determined the tissue was benign and just harmless fat.

However, doctors advised against surgical removal because the procedure was very difficult and could result in damage to his speaking and singing voice.

'I've had some health issues. Nothing life-threatening, thankfully. I've got a – I don't know if you can see this on my neck, I'm sure people think, 'Golly, he's been eatin' good,"' he said.

'We thought it was called a lipoma. But it's just fat. It's benign, thank God. And they told me it would be very, very difficult to do surgery, and it may affect my singing, and even my speaking voice.

'It's weird, it doesn't affect me, I just look like a linebacker circa 1982, thick neck,' he quipped.

He was 'bummed out' leaving the hospital after doctors told him the benign fat in his neck couldn't be safely removed.

'My wife and I were walking out of the hospital when I had an MRI or something and they had told us, "Man, great news. It's benign, but there's really not anything we can do about it,"' Moore recalled.

'So I was kind of bummed out walking out of the hospital, cause at the time we didn't know if it was cancer. We didn't know what it was, you know, and of course your mind takes you to the worst possible places obviously.'

Moore revealed that his wife of nine years, Kate, with whom he has three daughters and one son, gave him some perspective.

'And my wife looked at me, she goes, "If you just have a fat neck and you're here for the next 50 years, then shut up and stop complaining,"' the hitmaker remembered.

Fans initially noticed Moore's enlarged neck in a viral TikTok video of him performing the opening act for Riley Green's As Good As It Gets Tour on August 8.

'Hope he is ok his face looks swollen,' one fan commented.

'What happened to that guy,' another wanted to know.

'okay can someone tell me if he is okay?' a third ventured to ask.

Moore told Lawrence he hadn't seen a doctor in about a decade until his recent health crisis.

'I hadn't gone to the doctor, up until last year, in probably 10 years … My grandfathers greatly influenced me, and they were the type that it's like, if a limb's hanging off and you're working, you just kinda tape it back up and go for it, so I was the same way,' he admitted.

Elsewhere during the podcast interview, Moore shared more details about his sobriety journey.

During the COVID pandemic, 'a drink at 5 [pm] turned into three at noon and then before you know it it's all day every day and not even really getting smashed,' Moore said.

'It started affecting my life. I just kind of looked at myself in the mirror... I was putting so much energy into drinking and all that kind of stuff that it was taking away not only my professionalism but my family, most importantly church.'

The moment of truth came one Sunday after church.

'I don’t even know what prompted it. I just thought, "Man, I want to get healthy,"' Moore said. "I feel like myself for the first time in a while. I'm actually proud of myself for the first time in a while.'

Moore initially revealed he had been to rehab and gotten sober during a concert in Knoxville, Illinois on July 9, his first performance following a month-long break.

During the show, he told the audience that he spent 30 days in rehab after his ‘drinking got out of control.’

‘I know some of you have probably seen — I know there’s a sign over here that says “Welcome back” - that we’ve been off a while, and there was a lot of speculation, but my drinking got out of control,’ he said at the time, per People.

‘I let down my band and my crew and most importantly God, my family. I just became a complete dumbass,’ he went on.

‘But so I just got out of rehab for 30 days. This is my 31st day sober. And I’m gonna try to help as many people from this point forward until my last days on earth, and hopefully set a much better example for my kiddos.’