What Happened to Randy Travis? Country Singer’s Health Updates After Stroke and Aphasia Diagnosis

Randy Travis is back to making new music more than 10 years after a debilitating stroke impacted his ability to speak, sing and walk. What happened to the country singer and how is his health today?

What Happened to Randy Travis?

Randy was hospitalized in 2013 and diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy. Days later, he suffered a stroke, which was a “complication of his congestive heart failure,” according to a spokesperson. The stroke affected movement on the right side of Randy’s body.

After the near-fatal stroke, Randy had to be put on life support and have brain surgery. He spent six months in the ICU and doctors gave him a one percent chance of surviving. During his hospital stay, the legendary country star had another brain surgery and three tracheostomies to assist with his breathing. He also battled pneumonia three times during his recovery.

Randy was supported by his now-wife, Mary Davis, throughout the process. When he was well enough to be transferred to a rehabilitation center, she assisted with his long road to recovery. The “Forever and Ever, Amen” singer was diagnosed with aphasia, a “language disorder that affects a person's ability to communicate,” according to Mayo Clinic.

This impacted Randy’s ability to speak and sing and he is often assisted by Mary when he does interviews and makes any sort of public statements. He also has to use a wheelchair most of the time.

“The whole third midsection of Randy’s left brain was affected, which is speaking, writing and reading,” Mary explained. “But each day there’s something new that he says or does.”

Can Randy Travis Still Sing?

Although Randy has trouble speaking, he does still sometimes partake in singing. When he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016, he sang a rendition of “Amazing Grace” and thrilled fans with his voice.

He released a song with Josh Turner in 2020 called “Fool’s Love Affair.” Randy had initially recorded a demo of the song in the 1980s and decided to put it out years later. He also collaborated with Josh on a cover of “Forever and Ever, Amen,” marking his first return to the recording studio since the stroke.

In May 2024, Randy returned to music with the new song “Where That Came From,” which was his first solo track since his 2013 health scare. With the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI), producers were able to overlay Randy’s voice from old recordings with James Dupré’s vocals. “Randy’s on the other side of the microphone,” Cris Lacy, of Warner Music Nashville, said. “It’s still his vocal.”

Who Is Randy Travis’ Wife?

Randy married Mary in 2015. The two knew each other for nearly 30 years before their relationship became romantic, according to Taste of Country. However, they were both previously married to other people – Randy’s first wife was Elizabeth Hatcher-Travis, whom he divorced in 2010, while Mary’s ex is cosmetic dentist Dr. Ritchie Beougher.

Once Randy and Mary’s marriages fell apart, they fell in love with each other. They got engaged in early 2013, shortly before Randy’s health issues began, and secretly tied the knot two years later.

Randy never had any children, as his first wife was several years older than him. “He wanted children, and I think his relationship with Lib, who was so much older than him and they were not able to, is what he explained to me,” Mary said in a 2020 interview.

Although Randy is not the same person he was before his stroke, Mary advocated for him to have the life he does now. “When we left the hospital in November 2013, they said, ‘Well, you know, he’s going to be bedridden for the rest of his life. And you will be in and out of hospitals the rest of his life. So this is a huge task that you’re taking on,’” she recalled to Rolling Stone. “I said, ‘I don’t mind that, and I don’t believe it.’”

The couple lives on a farm/ranch in Texas. “We have our horses and our cows and we go down and feed them and talk to them,” Mary gushed. “We have wide open spaces and beautiful sunsets.”