Support surges for country music legend who suffered stroke on stage
Ronnie McDowell is feeling the love from his fans as the legendary country artist awaits surgery after having a stroke on stage .
McDowell's son, Ronnie Jr., shared a heartwarming update from his father on Facebook Tuesday, June 1.
"My Dad called me last night and said, 'well Son, I think that I just picked up the most mail that I've ever received,'" he wrote, alongside a picture of his father in front of a spread of letters.
"He wanted me to thank you all. I could just hear this happiness in his voice," Ronnie Jr. continued. "Thank you all for always making my Legendary Dad feel So Special and Appreciated."
The comments section of the post was filled with even more supportive messages from fans, including, "you are loved by many," and "he is probably the most loved entertainer alive."
McDowell was released from the hospital Monday, June 23 after he began to slur his words and started "not making sense" after a few songs while he was performing at the Summer Solstice Music Festival in Oley, Pennsylvania the Saturday before, WKRN reported .
A tour manager told the outlet that McDowell reportedly thought he might have had a stroke. He was then brought to a hospital in Reading for treatment.
"I know you're all concerned. I promise — no one is more worried than I am," McDowell's other son Tyler wrote in a Facebook post on June 21. "Please understand, this is an incredibly stressful time, and right now, my focus is on my Dad. If there's anything that needs to be shared, I promise — we will."
On Sunday, June 22, Tyler revealed his father underwent an MRI and that he and his brother spent the day with Ronnie in the hospital. Ronnie Jr. said his father was discharged on Monday.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, June 25, Ronnie Jr. said his father was "doing much better."
"He went to the doctor yesterday and they are retrieving all of his records from the Reading Hospital. They will be setting up his surgery shortly," he wrote. "As of yesterday he was still showing some signs of the stroke but I spoke with his nurse and they said that it was completely normal. It could go away within a day or a few months, but there is no long term damage (Thank You Jesus)."
Ronnie Jr. also thanked the entire staff at Reading Hospital for their help, calling them "some of the nicest people that we could have ever encountered during this trying time."
He promised to post updates about his father's surgery.
"Hopefully we will have a Surgery date soon," Ronnie Jr. wrote Tuesday. "We will keep you all posted as soon as we know."
With a career spanning nearly five decades, Ronnie McDowell has charted more than 30 top 40 hits on the Billboard country music charts. Two of his singles — "Older Women" and "You're Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation" — reached were No. 1 hits.
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