On January 13, 2016, reports surfaced that country legend Mel Tillis was in critical condition following colon surgery in a Nashville hospital. The 84-year-old singer had complications from the surgery and a few weeks later, he was out of the woods and finally able to sit up to watch TV.
Unfortunately, on January 28, Mel’s daughter, country singer Pam Tillis, shared an update on Facebook saying, “Dad is not healing as quickly as we would like…we ask for your continued prayers and we’ll update everyone soon….he’s a trooper.”
Tillis’ publicist, Don Murray Grubbs, confirmed to Country Rebel that Tillis had remained in the hospital the entire month of January. On January 31, Pam shared an update, which said that her father was feeling much better and thanked everyone for their ongoing prayers.
Months had gone by and we hadn’t heard anything from Grubbs or Pam, until April 28.
“It bears repeating how much your prayers mean to our family,” she wrote on Facebook. “While his recovery is taking a little longer than we’d like, his spirits are high, his sense of humor is very much intact, and he has been surrounded by family since this all started. We’ll keep you posted if there is any change, but right now we’re just trying to fatten him up and get him strong!!! Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers.”
Recently, Pam has been touring around the country and at every show, fans always inquire about her father’s health. After months of silence, Pam has been touched by all the sweet words, and although the family has been “fiercely private”, she wants the world to know how her dad is doing.
“Dad had a serious diverticulitis attack last January after a busy fall 2015 performance schedule. On the way to the hospital, he became septic and was in the I.C.U. for the better part of a month,” she wrote. “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 reveals that he is currently receiving full time care at his home in Ocala, Florida and that “his transition, initially, involved a few more weeks in the hospital there. Now, he’s back at home and on track. His vital signs are good and his sense of humor is fully intact!”
She continues by thanking the fans again for praying for him and assuring them Mel misses performing as much as they miss him. “Keep him in your prayers. They have worked.”