Randy Travis’ health has stabilized, according to hospital officials in Texas, where the country star is receiving treatment for a heart condition.
In a video released from the Baylor Health Care System, Dr. William Gray said Travis was admitted to Baylor McKinney on Sunday (July 7) with a presumptive cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure.
He was transferred to Baylor’s Heart Hospital in Plano on Monday, where he could receive a “higher level of specialized care,” according to Dr. Michael Mack, director of cardiovascular disease at the Baylor Health Care System in Dallas.
“Since his transfer, his condition has stabilized and he has shown signs of improvement,” Dr. Mack said.
As previously reported, Travis is being treated for viral cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle caused by a virus. Doctors now say he developed a viral upper respiratory illness about three weeks ago. He had previously been listed in critical condition.
Before moving to the hospital in Plano, Travis had a tiny pump called an Impella device installed into his heart through a catheter. The temporary device is designed to help patients “by relieving the heart’s pumping function and providing the time needed to perform life-saving procedures,” according to the Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center.
The North Carolina native, 54, burst upon the scene in 1986, and quickly became one of the biggest country performers of his day. Albums such as his debut set, 1986’s “Storms of Life” and 1987’s “Always & Forever” helped to make him a superstar in the latter part of the 1980s and a frequent award show favorite.
His string of No. 1 tracks on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart include “Forever and Ever, Amen,” “Honky Tonk Moon,” and “Too Gone Too Long.” His latest chart-topper came in 2002 with “Three Wooden Crosses.”