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Ray Stevens is on the mend after a heart surgery that took place on Monday morning (July 7).
A statement shared on Tuesday (July 8) confirms the Country Music Hall of Fame member, 86, “is in recovery after undergoing minimally invasive heart surgery yesterday morning. Last Friday evening [July 4], Ray complained of chest pain and was admitted to a Nashville hospital. After a heart catheterization procedure, it was determined he’d suffered a mild heart attack.”
The multi-Grammy winner’s surgery was successful; however, he will have to cancel his remaining performances through July as he recovers from the procedure.
Stevens was born in January 1939 in Clarkdale, Georgia. The singer-songwriter became known as the Clown Prince of Country Music for novelty hits like “Harry the Hairy Ape,” “The Streak,” “Mississippi Squirrel Revival” and more throughout his decades-long career. Over the years, Stevens sang, played trumpet, wrote music and more with the Jordanaires, Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings and many more, per his bio from the Nashville, Tennessee-based Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Stevens was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019, along with music executive Jerry Bradley and iconic 90s country duo Brooks & Dunn.