Mel Tillis Goes Home From the Hospital, Asks for Continued Prayers
Mel Tillis has finally returned home after spending most of a year under care in Nashville, and the country legend is thanking fans for their continued support.
The iconic singer-songwriter landed in the hospital in January of 2016, undergoing colon surgery. He suffered complications, and his daughter, singer Pam Tillis, turned to social media to ask fans for prayers as the 84-year-old entertainer fought to regain his health.
Tillis ended up spending most of an entire year under constant care in Nashville, but now, according to a statement from his publicist, he has returned home to Florida.
In November, Mel made the trip from Nashville back to his home state of Florida. He is currently at home in Ocala where he is being cared for by nurses as needed and continued physical therapy. His vitals are good and his sense of humor is very much intact. He is trying to get stronger and we are hopeful that will be the case now that he's back at home. He misses all of his loyal fans and is beyond thankful for all of the well wishes. Your continued thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated.
Pam Tillis again updated fans on her father's condition via Facebook, apologizing for not sharing more information over the last year.
"Information hasn’t flowed easily and we’ve been fiercely private about many of the details of his illness. Off stage, we are not particularly suited to the social media era," she admits, adding, "There were some very tough months with Dad’s illness. Our total focus was paying attention to him and his recovery; press announcements were not a priority."
She says her father became septic after an attack of diverticulitis and spent a month in intensive care last year.
"Everything he is dealing with now, almost a year later, is a direct result of that crisis. Due to the nature of his illness, his care was best served in several facilities in Nashville up until November," she shares.
"There are no foreseeable personal appearances, as of now. He misses his fans as much as they miss him. I miss performing with him very much, particularly at Christmas as I reminisce about all the family Christmas shows we did over the years," she writes, adding in closing, "Keep him in your prayers. They have worked."
Mel Tillis is a Nashville Songwriters International Hall of Fame inductee whose more than 1,000 songs include “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” by Kenny Rogers, “Detroit City” by Bobby Bare, “Emotions” by Brenda Lee, “Burning Memories” by Ray Price, “Thoughts of a Fool” by George Strait and “Honey (Open That Door)” by Ricky Skaggs.
Tillis has also acted in films and enjoyed a successful solo career, with hits including "Good Woman Blues," "Coca-Cola Cowboy" and "Southern Rains." His most recent studio album was You Ain’t Gonna Believe This in 2010.
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