Rick Diamond/ Getty Images 
 
 UPDATE: The Associated Press reports that Randy Travis remains in critical condition following surgery. Earlier today, Travis' publicist told ET: "As a complication of his congestive heart failure, Mr. Randy Travis has suffered a stroke and is currently undergoing surgery to relieve pressure on his brain." 
 
 The doctors treating critically ill Randy Travis spoke out for the first time Wednesday about the country star's condition and revealed that he was in congestive heart failure due to a viral respiratory illness that put him in the hospital on Sunday. 
 
 
 
 Travis remains in critical condition in a Dallas, TX hospital. Earlier, Drs. William Gray and Michael Mack of the Baylor Health Care System released a video, saying, "[Travis'] condition has stabilized and he has shown signs of improvement" while being treated for viral cardiomyopathy. 
 
 A statement released Tuesday by the singer's publicity company also revealed that Travis had undergone placement of an IMPELLA peripheral left ventricular assist device to help improve his circulatory function. 
 
 
 
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 The 54-year-old Grammy winning singer was admitted to a hospital in Dallas on Sunday, with his rep saying he suffered complications from a "recently acquired viral cardiomyopathy." The condition leads to a weakening and enlarging of the heart muscle, making it more difficult for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body. 
 
 
 
 The music legend -- who had been scheduled to perform at a canceled show Wednesday at the Deadwood Mountain Grand Casino in Deadwood, SD -- is known for hits such as Three Wooden Crosses, I Told You So, Deeper Than the Holler and Forever and Ever, Amen. 

 Country music star Randy Travis is out of surgery but remains in critical condition after suffering a stroke while at a Texas hospital, the singer's publicist said late Wednesday. 
 
 FILE - In this June 7, 2013 file photo, Randy Travis performs on day 2 of the 2013 CMA Music festival at the LP Field in Nashville, Tenn. Travis has been hospitalized in Texas with viral cardiomyopathy.... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this June 7, 2013 file photo, Randy Travis performs at the 2013 CMA Music Festival at LP Field in Nashville Tenn. Travis has been hospitalized in Texas with viral cardiomyopathy. A news release... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this June 7, 2013 file photo, Randy Travis performs on day 2 of the 2013 CMA Music festival at the LP Field in Nashville, Tenn. Publicist Kirt Webster on Wednesday night, July 10, 2013 said... (Associated Press) 
 
 Kirt Webster, the publicist, said the 54-year-old Travis suffered the stroke Wednesday night while he was being treated for congestive heart failure because of a viral illness. Travis underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. He remained in critical condition. 
 
 "His family and friends here with him at the hospital request your prayers and support," Webster said in a news release earlier in the evening. 
 
 It was not clear what kind of stroke Travis suffered. The most common type of stroke is caused by a blood clot that travels to the brain. The other kind happens when a blood vessel in the head bursts or leaks. Stroke patients who get treatment quickly are usually given a drug to dissolve the clot that caused the stroke. 
 
 The setback occurred hours after doctors said Travis was showing signs of improvement, though he remained in critical condition with congestive heart failure because of a viral illness. 
 
 Drs. William Gray and Michael Mack of the Baylor Health Care System in Texas described Travis' condition and hospitalization in a video statement earlier Wednesday. 
 
 "His condition has stabilized, and he has shown signs of improvement," Mack said in the video. "On behalf of Mr. Travis' family, friends and associates, we would like to express our extreme gratitude for the overwhelming affection and support that Mr. Travis has received." 
 
 The Grammy Award-winning singer was in good health until three weeks before he was hospitalized, when he contracted a viral upper respiratory infection, Gray said. 
 
 The viral illness led to a weakened heart muscle that eventually worsened into heart failure. 
 
 Travis was admitted to Baylor Medical Center McKinney near his home in Tioga, about 60 miles north of Dallas, through the emergency room on Sunday. The singer underwent a procedure to have a pump inserted by catheter that helps increase blood flow before being transferred to The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano. 
 
 The North Carolina-born Travis is a traditional country purist who is a pivotal figure in the genre best known for his hits "Forever and Ever, Amen" and "Three Wooden Crosses." His Warner Bros. debut album "Storms of Life" sold 3 million copies and helped return country music to its roots. 
 
 Travis has recently been trying to put his life back together after a series of embarrassing public incidents involving alcohol. Travis pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated in January following an arrest last year and received two years of probation and a $2,000 fine. He was required to spend at least 30 days at an alcohol treatment facility and complete 100 hours of community service. 
 
 He recently made several public appearances, including a spot on the Country Music Association Festival's nightly concert lineup and a poignant performance at George Jones' funeral. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press reporter Kristin M. Hall contributed to this report in Nashville. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Follow AP Music Writer Chris Talbott: http://twitter.com/Chris_Talbott. 

 Story highlights "Randy Travis is out of surgery and in critical condition," the hospital says 
 
 Travis' stroke is "a complication of his congestive heart failure" 
 
 Doctors implanted a device in his heart to help blood flow 
 
 His illness is related to his "recently acquired viral cardiomyopathy," his publicist says 
 
 Randy Travis suffered a stroke and underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain Wednesday evening, his publicist said. 
 
 "Mr. Randy Travis is out of surgery and in critical condition," the hospital website announced Wednesday night. 
 
 The stroke is "a complication of his congestive heart failure" for which he is being treated at The Heart Hospital at Baylor Plano in Texas, Kirt Webster said. 
 
 "We will have updates as they become available," Webster said. "His family and friends here with him at the hospital request your prayers and support." 
 
 Word of his setback came just hours after his doctors said Travis had "stabilized and he has shown signs of improvement." 
 
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 The country singer was initially hospitalized Sunday at Baylor Medical Center at McKinney, Texas, "with a presumptive cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure," Dr. William Gray said. 
 
 Travis, 54, was transferred to The Heart Hospital at Baylor Plano in Texas on Monday, Dr. Michael Mack said. 
 
 "We determined together in a joint decision that a higher level of specialized care was appropriate, and therefore we transferred him to The Heart Hospital," Mack said. 
 
 Doctors implanted a device in his heart to help blood flow. The singer "underwent the placement of an Impella peripheral left ventricular assist device for stabilization prior to transferring hospitals," Travis spokesman Kirt Webster said in a written statement Tuesday. 
 
 The Mayo Clinic's website described the device as "an implantable mechanical pump that helps pump blood from the lower chambers of your heart to the rest of your body." 
 
 Travis' illness is related to his "recently acquired viral cardiomyopathy," Webster said. 
 
 Travis had recently been on the road, performing in Detroit on June 28 and Chicago on June 29. He was set to do a show in Deadwood, South Dakota, on Wednesday. 
 
 He appeared well during business meetings on Friday and Saturday, Webster said. "Then on Sunday, it hit him." 
 
 Viral cardiomyopathy is a disorder where a virus attacks the muscles of the heart, causing the heart to beat slower, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website. In some cases, the heart can stop, it said. 
 
 Travis had a tough year in 2012 with arrests for assault and public intoxication , which earned him probation. 
 
 Travis was at the forefront of the "New Traditionalist" movement in the 1980s and 1990s, but he faded as the '90s wore on. He made a comeback after turning to gospel music in 1999. His song "Three Wooden Crosses" won song of the year in 2003 from both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music. 
 
 As one of country music's top-selling artists, Travis has won seven Grammys, 10 Academy of Country Music awards and 10 American Music Award statuettes. 
 
 His best-known songs also include "Forever and Ever, Amen," "Diggin' Up Bones" and "Deeper Than the Holler."
– Randy Travis' health trouble took a bad turn last night when he suffered a stroke in the hospital, reports ET Online. As a result, he underwent emergency surgery to try to relieve pressure on the brain, reports CNN, quoting the singer's publicist from the Heart Hospital at Baylor Plano. He is now out of surgery, says a publicist, per the AP, but his condition remains critical. Travis was airlifted to the Texas hospital over the weekend when a viral infection eventually led to congestive heart failure. Earlier in the evening, doctors said the 54-year-old had been showing signs of improvement.