Willie and weed is as iconic a duo as Mac & Cheese, Peanut Butter & Jelly or Bert & Ernie.
In a recent interview with San Antonio's KSAT-TV, the 86-year-old says:
“I have abused my lungs quite a bit in the past, so breathing is a little more difficult these days and I have to be careful.I started smoking cedar bark, went from that to cigarettes to whatever. And that almost killed me. I don’t smoke anymore — [I] take better care of myself.”
His health issues have generated rumors suggesting that he is near death.He says in response to the rumors ““I don’t give a (expletive deleted) I’m here, I’m glad to be here.”