Willie Nelson Hospitalized for Breathing Problems Seattle Post-Intelligencer Copyright 2012 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Published 7:16 a.m., Monday, August 20, 2012 Country musician Willie Nelson was hospitalized on Saturday for breathing problems, NBC News reports. Nelson, 79, was scheduled to appear at an animal shelter fundraiser in Denver, Colo.