How is Randy Travis' health? Country singer delights fans with 'Price Is Right' appearance

Randy Travis delighted his fans when he made a rare public appearance on the set of “The Price Is Right” on Feb. 27.

The country legend appeared to be in good spirits and was accompanied by his wife, Mary Davis, who helped escort him around the set in his wheelchair.

After a highly successful career, the 64-year-old mostly stays out of the spotlight following a string of medical challenges. Here's what to know about Randy Travis' health in 2024.

2013: Randy Travis hospitalized for a heart condition

Following a viral upper respiratory infection, Travis found himself suffering from viral cardiomyopathy in July 2013. While the singer was at the hospital, Dr. Michael Mack detailed his condition, explaining that a viral illness became “a more chronic condition.”

Mack noted that Travis had a "family history of cardiomyopathy" and added that Travis was then diagnosed with “idiopathic cardiomyopathy," a condition that was characterized by scarring on the singer's heart muscle.

Per Mack, this caused his heart to weaken without the help of "either medical devices or medication.”

During his hospital stay, the musician had a device installed in a ventricle of his heart in an attempt to stabilize the muscle.

2013: Randy Travis suffers a stroke

Just three days after he was admitted to the hospital for heart issues, Travis suffered a near-fatal stroke and underwent surgery to help relieve pressure on his brain.

The stroke was a “complication of his congestive heart failure," per the singer's spokesperson.

At the time, doctors gave the singer a less than 1% chance of surviving.

In 2019, Travis' wife Mary Davis opened up to TODAY about the difficult decisions she had to make in that moment — namely whether to take her husband off life support.

“Even in his state, his semi-coma state, he squeezed my hand,’’ she said.

“And he laid there, and I just, I saw this tear just fell. And it was, you know, one, two at a time. And I just went back to the doctors and I said, ‘We’re fighting this,’’’ she continued.

2013: Randy Travis develops aphasia

Following his stroke, Travis was transferred to a physical therapy facility, where he began the recovery process. As a result of his health challenges, the musician developed aphasia, which the Mayo Clinic describes as “a disorder that affects how you communicate.”

To this day, Travis has difficulty speaking and relies on the assistance of his wife to communicate during interviews.

The singer had to learn how to walk again during the recovery process and now mostly uses a wheelchair.

During an interview with Rolling Stone Country in 2020, Davis spoke about her husband's recovery challenges.

“He got to the point where he pretty much shut down as far as going through the rehab because it does get tedious. When there’s that much damage done, you take tiny baby steps. There are plateaus — you’ll see a spurt of improvement, then it’ll flatline for a while and you’re just kind of at a plateau, and then you’ll see another improvement and every little thing is such a huge thing,” she said.

2016: Randy Travis is inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame

Travis has trouble speaking, but he does still sing from time to time. In 2016, the artist thrilled fans when he sang "Amazing Grace" while being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Mary Travis appeared on stage with her husband and helped express his gratitude over the honor.

“Today is the greatest day of Randy’s celebrated music career,” she said. “Randy wants to thank you for listening and loving him. Randy stared death in the face, but death blinked.”

2020: Randy Travis Collaborates with Josh Turner on a Song

In 2020, Travis released a new single, “Fool’s Love Affair,” which he'd originally recorded as a demo in 1984. During an interview with TODAY, Davis explained the motivation for the song's release.

“Here we have ‘Fool’s Love Affair’ that sat on the shelf for so long, and it got tired of sitting on the shelf,” she said. “It needed to be heard.”

The same year, Travis performed on a cover of his song “Forever and Ever, Amen” with country singer Josh Turner. This was his first recording session since he had a stroke.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com