Oliver Anthony thought he might die before viral rise to fame: 'My body was falling apart'

Rising star Oliver Anthony said in a new interview he thought he may die last year from his body simply shutting down from years of stress and just hoped his music would last beyond him.

Anthony said that years of anxiety and depression had contributed to constant "brain fog" and even "chest pains" that left him scared for his life. Now, after the viral sensation "Rich Men North of Richmond" and the discovery of his other music, he's soared to the top of the charts and become an icon for a working class that feels beat down and left behind by Washington politicians of both parties. 

"I was feeling like my body was starting to fall apart, and it got to a point where I was questioning how much longer I’d be able to be around and sing these songs and do this stuff, so I was like, ‘Well, let me just go ahead and start getting everything uploaded, so at least if, God forbid, I die of a heart attack in my thirties, there’s some legacy there,’ " he told The Free Press.

Anthony's song, which has been viewed more than 45 million times on YouTube alone, laments working-class ills such as not being able to get ahead, substance abuse, greedy politicians and the suicide epidemic. The song has become a sensation, prompting emotional response videos, testimonials from all walks of life and a blitz of media coverage and analysis of why his song has touched on blue-collar life in such a meaningful way. Anthony's other music has been discovered as a result and also become popular. He's been open about past alcohol and drug use and has credited his turn to his faith as helping turn his life around.

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The 31-year-old farmer said he began drinking and using marijuana in his 20s, and it was difficult for a time to embrace his Christian faith because he associated religion with the politicians he derides as hypocrites. Now, he prays before recording songs and opened a concert earlier this month with a reading from the Book of Psalms.

"I was obviously introduced to the concept of God and religion as a kid, and I think I was turned off to it growing up," Anthony said. "The reason I was always so reluctant to accept God as God is because it meant I had to accept all those people that I didn’t quite agree with as being correct—you know, I falsely associated man-made religion and some of the things that go along with it with the concept of Jesus Christ and God in general."

Anthony's stunning rise is inextricably linked to the public viewing him as a genuine voice of the working class. His acoustic version of "Rich Men" was filmed on his Virginia farm and simply featured him and his resonator guitar. He's said he isn't interested in lucrative music industry deals and simply wants to connect with people, and connect people to one another as well.

He's also discussed his past employment that included a "living hell" at a paper mill in North Carolina and once fracturing his skull in 2013 that forced him to move home to Virginia. He currently lives on farmland he paid $97,500 for, inside a 27-foot camper with a tarp on the roof.

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It was revealed in the story that Anthony – whose real name is Christopher Lunsford and whose stage name is a namesake tribute to his grandfather – is married with two children, with another on the way. 

Anthony also reiterated in his new interview that he wants to steer clear of politics, hoping his message will transcend the usual political binary.

In a video posted to YouTube on Friday, Anthony responded to his song's inclusion at last week's GOP debate, saying his song was actually about politicians like those on the stage. He also criticized left-wing outlets that have accused him demonizing the poor, saying his music has always sided with those in poverty.

"You could find the most perfect human being in the world and put them in the White House," he told The Free Press. "The problem isn’t the White House or the federal government. The problem is us—like human to human is where we fix our country. We don’t need the government to save us. We just need to save each other." 

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