Randy Travis is recovering from stroke, in critical condition

Country singer Randy Travis is recovering from a stroke that he had while undergoing surgery for congestive heart failure, his publicist said Wednesday evening.

The Grammy-winning hitmaker, 54, was admitted to the hospital Sunday, and underwent a procedure Wednesday to relieve pressure on his brain. He remains in critical condition at a Plano, Texas, hospital.

Travis, who helped reintroduce the honky tonk style of country music onto the charts in the 1980s, first fell ill about three weeks ago, his doctors said Wednesday, and his condition worsened after he contracted a viral upper respiratory infection. After being admitted Sunday, his health further deteriorated and he was transferred to a specialized heart unit in Plano, where he underwent surgery.

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The singer has in recent years struggled with alcoholism, and has been in headlines less for music-related endeavors than alcohol-related misfortune. In January, he was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 30 days in an inpatient treatment facility after pleading guilty to drunk driving in 2012.

But he’s better known for a string of country hits that includes “Three Wooden Crosses,” “Diggin’ Up Bones” and “Deeper Than the Holler.”

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