Country music legend Randy Travis is critically ill.
Travis, 54, currently admitted to an unidentified hospital in Texas, is suffering from the effects of viral cardiomyopathy, according to Travis spokesperson Kirt Webster.
Travis had been touring recently, performing in Detroit on June 28 and Chicago on June 29, and was scheduled to do a show in Deadwood, South Dakota, on Wednesday, July 10. He was reported to be “fine” during business meetings over the last few days, but, according to Webster, “on Sunday, it hit him.”
Viral cardiomyopathy is a catch-all term for a number of viral diseases that might affect the way the human heart functions. According to Dr. Ramin Oskoui, a cardiologist and internal medicine specialist in Washington, DC, the term could refer to heart ailments resulting from more than 30 different viruses. Generally speaking, cardiomyopathy refers to any condition that results in a measurable deterioration of the heart, though, in practice, it is usually reserved for “severe myocardial disease leading to heart failure.”
In 2012, Travis was arrested for assault and public intoxication, including a particularly unflattering incident in which he went naked-shopping for smokes. Oskoui did not rule out the possibility that Travis’s alcohol use could have negatively influenced his condition.
Since 1985, Travis has recorded 20 studio albums and put more than 50 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, 16 of which were number one hits. He is a major figure in country music history, known for reviving traditional country music for a modern audience. He has sold over 25 million records, earned 22 number one hits, six number one albums, six Grammy awards, six CMA awards, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.