Country singer Randy Travis, an outspoken Christian, is in critical condition this morning after suffering a stroke and undergoing surgery to relieve pressure on his brain last night.
The stroke was a complication following Travis's hospitalization last week for congestive heart failure, according to a statement posted on his website. Until the stroke, the singer's condition had been improving, his doctors said.
CBS News reports that the 54-year-old "was in good health until three weeks before he was hospitalized, when he contracted a viral upper respiratory infection…. The viral illness led to a weakened heart muscle that eventually worsened into heart failure."
Friends and family at the hospital reportedly asked for prayers, prompting an outpouring of support from country stars and Twitter users, who "reached out using the hashtag #PrayforRandy," according to the Associated Press.
Since converting to Christianity, "I'm far more at peace with myself, just having come to know more and more of the Word of God, and that assurance that I will spend eternity in heaven," he said in a Q & A with CT. "It's nice to feel that peace of everything, in everything."
Travis, known for songs such as "Forever and Ever Amen," released a greatest-hits gospel album in 2009. Travis was arrested for drunk driving last year.
