Fiddler Jenee Fleenor Has COVID-19, Drops Out of 2020 CMA Awards at the Last Minute
Jenee Fleenor will not be part of the 2020 CMA Awards show-opening tribute to Charlie Daniels, as she has tested positive for COVID-19. The fiddle player and 2019 CMA Musician of the Year shared the news on social media on Wednesday (Nov. 11), just head of the annual awards show.
In an Instagram post, Fleenor says she's feeling well, but bummed that she can't be part of the performance as planned.
"I'm absolutely honored the CMAs asked me to perform on the Charlie Daniels tribute, and I was so looking forward to putting on some sparkly clothes ... and sawin' my heart out," Fleenor writes. "I reckon it's just another bump in the road of 2020."
Fleenor wasn't the only artist who had to drop out of the 2020 CMA Awards at the last minute due to COVID-19: Lady A announced just an hour prior to the show that they wouldn't be attending due to someone in one of their immediate families testing positive for the virus.
Lee Brice and Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard also tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days, necessitating their removal from the show's audience and performance lineup.
The 2020 CMA Awards will begin at 8PM ET on ABC. They're taking place live at Nashville's Music City Center, with only artists and their guests in attendance due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Rigorous testing, as well as other protocols, are in place for the night.
Country Artists Who've Tested Positive for the Coronavirus: