Mel Tillis Goes Home From the Hospital, Asks for Continued Prayers

By Timothy Yap Jan 06, 2017 05:02 AM EST

Pam Tillis, the daughter of legendary artist Mel Tillis, has called fans to pray for her ailing dad. Mel Tillis has finally returned home after spending most of last year under care in Nashville. The older Tillis was in the hospital since January of 2016, undergoing colon surgery. He suffered complications and for the whole of last year suffered to regain his health.

Mel 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."

Tillis's biggest hits include "I Ain't Never", "Good Woman Blues", and "Coca-Cola Cowboy". On February 13, 2012, President Barack Obama awarded Tillis the National Medal of Arts for his contributions to country music. He also has won the CMA Awards' most coveted award, Entertainer of the Year. He is also known for his speech impediment, which does not affect his singing voice.

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