Ray Stevens suffered a “mild heart attack” on Friday (July 4), according to a statement from his publicity team.
The singer was admitted to a hospital in Nashville after he began experiencing chest pain, and he underwent a heart catheterization procedure that confirmed that he’d had a heart attack.
On Monday (July 7), he underwent surgery to address the conditions that led to the heart attack, and he is currently recovering.
In light of his medical event, Stevens has canceled all scheduled performances through July.
He had planned several concerts at his West Nashville CabaRay Showroom. Those shows were schedule to promote his new comedy album, Ray Stevens … Say Whut?
Stevens performed what he initially said was his final run of shows in 2024, but in 2025, he came out of retirement to book a new run of shows in support of the Say Whut? album.
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Stevens, 86, is known both for his country hits and for novelty recordings, including “The Streak.” His song “Everything Is Beautiful” won him a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Male Vocalist in 1971, and he won another Grammy for “Misty” in 1976.
He is a member of the Grand Ole Opry, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Christian Music Hall of Fame. In 2019, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Stevens has been going through major life changes over the past several years. His wife of more than 60 years, Penny, died on Jan. 31, 2021, and Stevens subsequently sold the massive Nashville estate they had shared.
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