Beloved country music star Randy Travis is once again at the …
Fans worldwide are in shock following a devastating announcement from the family of Randy Travis, the cherished country music legend whose distinctive voice and inspiring comeback have impacted millions. At the age of 66, Travis is once again facing serious health issues, as indicated by a statement released moments ago from Nashville.
The update, provided by his wife Mary Travis, outlines a “serious and unexpected setback” concerning his ongoing health struggles resulting from the severe stroke he experienced in 2013. Despite spending the last ten years battling with resolve — relearning to speak, walk, and even sing — this latest news has left his loved ones “deeply concerned and seeking prayers.”
Although the family has not disclosed complete details, they stressed that Randy is “surrounded by love, faith, and the finest medical care available.” They also requested privacy as they navigate this challenging time.
This news has reverberated throughout the country music community. Travis, celebrated for songs such as “Forever and Ever, Amen,” “Three Wooden Crosses,” and “Deeper Than the Holler,” represents more than just a performer — he embodies strength, redemption, and resilience. His brave return to public life after a near-fatal incident in 2013 has inspired both fans and fellow artists.
Randy Travis (born May 4, 1959, Marshville, North Carolina, U.S.) is an American country music singer-songwriter and actor known musically as being a new traditionalist, or neo-traditionalist, preferring to explore classic country over the urban cowboy sound that was popular when he gained fame in the mid-1980s. Throughout his career, he won numerous awards, including several Grammy Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, and Gospel Music Association Dove Awards.
He was born Randy Traywick and spent his early years in rural North Carolina. When he was eight years old, he began playing the guitar. Within a few years, he and his elder brother, Ricky Traywick, started entering talent contests as the Traywick Brothers. In the ninth grade, Randy Traywick dropped out of school and soon found himself in trouble with the law. At age 16, he ran away from home to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he became more serious about music. He won a talent contest at a nightclub there and met Elizabeth (“Lib”) Hatcher, the club’s manager, who became his mentor and eventually his manager. (The two married in 1991 and divorced in 2010.) In the early 1980s Traywick and Hatcher moved to Nashville, where he sang under the name Randy Ray while holding down odd jobs. By 1985 he had signed with Warner Brothers Records and was performing as Randy Travis.
Country superstar
Travis’s first album, Storms of Life (1986), went to number one on the Billboard country chart and sold more than three million copies. With songs such as the chart-topping “Diggin’ Up Bones,” Travis showcased a smooth baritone voice and a laid-back singing style. His next album, Always and Forever (1987), also sold several million copies and remained number one on the country chart for 46 weeks. It features the single “Forever and Ever, Amen,” which was the first of seven number-one hits by Travis in a row. He released two more albums in the 1980s, Old 8×10 (1988) and No Holdin’ Back (1989), which, though not as commercially successful as his previous albums, performed well.
After 5 of his albums and 10 of his singles reached the top of the Billboard country charts in the 1980s, Travis’s career began to level out in the 1990s as country music newcomers with crossover appeal, such as Garth Brooks, began to rise. Travis’s albums from that time include This Is Me (1994), Full Circle (1996), and You and You Alone (1998), the last of which was released by DreamWorks, his new label.