Post by Kim on Jul 12, 2013 21:41:02 GMT -5
Randy Travis undergoes emergency surgery after suffering a stroke during treatment for congestive heart failure
Critical: Country singer Randy Travis is undergoing emergency surgery after suffering a stroke
Country music star Randy Travis has suffered a stroke during treatment for a congestive heart failure.
The 54-year-old singer is now out of emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain, according to his publicist.
Kirt Webster said on Wednesday night that the star suffered the stroke while he was being treated for congestive heart failure because of a viral illness.
It was not clear what kind of stroke Travis suffered. He remains in critical condition at a Texas hospital.
'His family and friends here with him at the hospital request your prayers and support,' Webster said in a news release.
Doctors earlier said that Travis was showing signs of improvement.
William Gray and Michael Mack of the Baylor Health Care System in Texas described Travis' condition and hospitalisation in a video statement.
'His condition has stabilised, and he has shown signs of improvement,' Mack said in the video. 'On behalf of Mr Travis's family, friends and associates, we would like to express our extreme gratitude for the overwhelming affection and support that Mr. Travis has received.'
The Grammy Award-winning singer was in good health until three weeks before he was hospitalised on Sunday, when he contracted a viral upper respiratory infection, Gray said.
The viral illness led to a weakened heart muscle that eventually worsened into heart failure.
Travis was admitted to Baylor Medical Center McKinney near his home in Tioga, about 60 miles north of Dallas, through the emergency room on Sunday.
The singer underwent a procedure to have a pump inserted by catheter that helps increase blood flow before being transferred to The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano.
'He underwent placement of an Impella peripheral left ventricular assist device for stabilization prior to transferring hospitals,' his representative told People magazine earlier this week.
The North Carolina-born Travis is a traditional country purist who is a pivotal figure in the genre and is best known for his hits Forever and Ever, Amen and Three Wooden Crosses.
His Warner Bros début album Storms of Life sold three million copies and helped return country music to its roots.
The illness came as Travis was trying to put his life back together after a series of embarrassing public incidents involving alcohol.
Travis pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated in January following an arrest last year and received two years of probation and a $2,000 fine. He was required to spend at least 30 days at an alcohol treatment facility and complete 100 hours of community service.
He recently made several public appearances, including a spot on the Country Music Association Festival's nightly concert lineup and a poignant performance at George Jones's funeral.
His peers and fans have been watching Travis' progress closely.
'I always feel like he's part of our family, he's in our family,' Country star Keith Urban said on Wednesday morning. 'And I was one of those guys in Australia that bought Storms of Life and became a Randy fan very quickly in late `80s, and I really feel for him right now.'
Teresa Traywick, who is married to Randy's brother Ricky Traywick, previously told People that the singer underwent surgery on Monday.
She also revealed that heart problems run in the Travis family.
'We have been told he has had surgery,' she said.
'Our prayers are going out to him because my husband just had a heart attack last year, so it is in their family.'
'Their mother passed away at an early age with her heart, so it is like these boys are following right in their footsteps,' she added. 'My prayers are with them. That's all I can say right now.'
People magazine reported that Travis was booked to play a show at the Deadwood Mountain Grand in Deadwood, South Dakota, this week but the planned performance has since been cancelled.
During the span of his career, Travis has sold more than 25 million records and has won more than two dozen major awards, including six Grammys.
His latest came earlier this year when he won best country collaboration for I Told You So, a duet with Carrie Underwood.
Critical: Country singer Randy Travis is undergoing emergency surgery after suffering a stroke
Country music star Randy Travis has suffered a stroke during treatment for a congestive heart failure.
The 54-year-old singer is now out of emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain, according to his publicist.
Kirt Webster said on Wednesday night that the star suffered the stroke while he was being treated for congestive heart failure because of a viral illness.
It was not clear what kind of stroke Travis suffered. He remains in critical condition at a Texas hospital.
'His family and friends here with him at the hospital request your prayers and support,' Webster said in a news release.
Doctors earlier said that Travis was showing signs of improvement.
William Gray and Michael Mack of the Baylor Health Care System in Texas described Travis' condition and hospitalisation in a video statement.
'His condition has stabilised, and he has shown signs of improvement,' Mack said in the video. 'On behalf of Mr Travis's family, friends and associates, we would like to express our extreme gratitude for the overwhelming affection and support that Mr. Travis has received.'
The Grammy Award-winning singer was in good health until three weeks before he was hospitalised on Sunday, when he contracted a viral upper respiratory infection, Gray said.
The viral illness led to a weakened heart muscle that eventually worsened into heart failure.
Travis was admitted to Baylor Medical Center McKinney near his home in Tioga, about 60 miles north of Dallas, through the emergency room on Sunday.
The singer underwent a procedure to have a pump inserted by catheter that helps increase blood flow before being transferred to The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano.
'He underwent placement of an Impella peripheral left ventricular assist device for stabilization prior to transferring hospitals,' his representative told People magazine earlier this week.
The North Carolina-born Travis is a traditional country purist who is a pivotal figure in the genre and is best known for his hits Forever and Ever, Amen and Three Wooden Crosses.
His Warner Bros début album Storms of Life sold three million copies and helped return country music to its roots.
The illness came as Travis was trying to put his life back together after a series of embarrassing public incidents involving alcohol.
Travis pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated in January following an arrest last year and received two years of probation and a $2,000 fine. He was required to spend at least 30 days at an alcohol treatment facility and complete 100 hours of community service.
He recently made several public appearances, including a spot on the Country Music Association Festival's nightly concert lineup and a poignant performance at George Jones's funeral.
His peers and fans have been watching Travis' progress closely.
'I always feel like he's part of our family, he's in our family,' Country star Keith Urban said on Wednesday morning. 'And I was one of those guys in Australia that bought Storms of Life and became a Randy fan very quickly in late `80s, and I really feel for him right now.'
Teresa Traywick, who is married to Randy's brother Ricky Traywick, previously told People that the singer underwent surgery on Monday.
She also revealed that heart problems run in the Travis family.
'We have been told he has had surgery,' she said.
'Our prayers are going out to him because my husband just had a heart attack last year, so it is in their family.'
'Their mother passed away at an early age with her heart, so it is like these boys are following right in their footsteps,' she added. 'My prayers are with them. That's all I can say right now.'
People magazine reported that Travis was booked to play a show at the Deadwood Mountain Grand in Deadwood, South Dakota, this week but the planned performance has since been cancelled.
During the span of his career, Travis has sold more than 25 million records and has won more than two dozen major awards, including six Grammys.
His latest came earlier this year when he won best country collaboration for I Told You So, a duet with Carrie Underwood.
