Country music’s towering baritone once stared death in the face not on stage, but at the hands of his own wife. This is the shocking true story fans were never told in full.
A Night That Nearly Ended It All
In the world of country music, Trace Adkins is known for his grit, gravelly voice, and resilience. But few fans realize just how literal that resilience is—until they hear about the night in 1994 when his own wife shot him in the chest, and he came within inches of losing his life.
The woman behind the gun was Julie Curtis, Adkins’ second wife. According to multiple official reports and Adkins’ own 2007 memoir A Personal Stand, the incident followed a heated argument over his drinking. Curtis, in a moment of fury, grabbed a .38 caliber handgun and pulled the trigger.
The bullet tore through both of his lungs and his heart, a wound that doctors later described as “a kill shot.” Adkins was airlifted to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery and intensive care. Against the odds, he survived.
No Charges Filed. No Revenge. Just Silence.
The most astonishing part? Trace Adkins chose not to press charges.
Instead of retaliation or a media frenzy, Adkins quietly filed for divorce and moved on. In later interviews, he reflected on the moment without bitterness, saying:
“I tried to get the gun away from her… and that’s when it went off.”
The decision not to pursue legal action remains one of the most controversial and mysterious choices in Adkins’ personal history. To this day, Julie Curtis has remained completely out of the public eye, her story largely untold—until now.
Behind the Music: Pain, Survival, and Moving On
Following the shooting, Adkins rebuilt his life and career. The brush with death gave his music a darker, more grounded edge—and his fans a deeper respect for the man behind the hits like “You’re Gonna Miss This” and “Songs About Me.”
In interviews, Adkins has admitted that he feels lucky to even be alive, often referring to the gunshot wound as something that changed the trajectory of his entire life.