Country star makes incredible comeback after doctors warned family to 'pull the plug'

Country music legend Randy Travis has stunned fans with his remarkable resilience more than a decade after a devastating stroke nearly claimed his life - and even led doctors to urge his family to end treatment. The Forever and Ever, Amen singer stepped out in Nashville over the weekend, attending the Medallion Ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum alongside his wife, Mary Travis.

Looking sharp in slim black jeans, a crisp white shirt and a denim jacket, the 66-year-old received an emotional welcome from country music peers who have followed his long and gruelling recovery. Randy suffered a catastrophic stroke in 2013 while being treated for congestive heart failure. The medical crisis left him paralysed on one side, unable to speak and later diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that affects the brain's ability to process language. His chance of survival was estimated at just 2%.

But despite medical experts losing hope, Mary refused to give up on her husband. Speaking to Fox News Digital, she revealed the shocking moment doctors urged her to end his life support.

She recalled: "I think Randy, there was never a doubt in Randy's mind that he could make it through it." But doctors were less certain. "It was that magical moment that I went to his bedside when they said, 'We need to pull the plug,'" Mary said.

At the time, Randy was fighting off multiple serious infections. "He had gotten a staph infection and three other hospital-born bacterial viruses like Serratia, Pseudomonas, one thing after another, and the doctors were just saying, 'He just doesn't have the strength to get through this,'" she added.

With his condition deteriorating, Mary was warned to prepare for the worst. But in a powerful moment of defiance, Randy showed he was still fighting.

"That's when I went to him," Mary said. "That was the moment that I knew that Randy Travis was gonna make it because he squeezed my hand and a tear went down his face, and I said, 'He's still fighting.'"

She continued: "I knew at that point in time, because he had every odd in the world against him, and he wasn't giving up. And I was so encouraged by that, to be honest. He was my inspiration."

Randy spent years in intensive physical therapy, relearning how to walk, talk and read. Aphasia made communication extremely difficult and robbed him of his singing voice, but despite that heartbreaking loss, he has found a way back to music.

With the help of new vocal technology, Randy has begun releasing music again - a milestone many thought would never happen.

Before his stroke, Randy was one of country music's biggest stars, selling more than 25million records and earning multiple Grammys. His hits include I Told You So, Deeper Than the Holler and On the Other Hand.