(AP) — Country music stars and fans joined together to urge prayers for Randy Travis overnight as he recovered from brain surgery following a stroke at a Texas hospital.

Publicist Kirt Webster says Travis remains in critical condition Thursday after surgery the previous night to relieve pressure on his brain. The 54-year-old Grammy Award-winning singer had been improving while being treated for heart failure caused by a viral infection when he had the stroke.

Steady concern for Travis, a popular and pivotal figure in country music, turned to active support as stars like Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum and Martina McBride and the Grand Ole Opry used Twitter to join Webster’s call for prayers. Hundreds of users reached out using the hashtag PrayforRandy.

You gotta love the Seasame Street Crew…

Composer Jerry Herman is 82
Singer Mavis Staples is 74
Actor Mills Watson (“B.J. and the Bear,” ”Lobo”) is 73
Guitarist Jerry Miller of Moby Grape is 70
Actor Ron Glass (“Barney Miller”) is 68
Actress Sue Lyon is 67
Folk singer Arlo Guthrie is 66
Bassist Dave Smalley of The Raspberries is 64
Singer Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys is 59
Banjo player Bela Fleck of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones is 55
Drummer Shaw Wilson of BR549 is 53
Guitarist Peter DiStefano of Porno for Pyros is 48
Actor Gale Harold (“Hellcats”) is 44
Country singer Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts is 43
Actress Sofia Vergara (“Modern Family”) is 41
Actor Adrian Grenier (“Entourage,” ”Cecil B. DeMented”) is 37
Actress Gwendoline Yeo (“Desperate Housewives”) is 36
Actor Thomas Ian Nicholas (“American Pie”) is 33
Singer Jessica Simpson is 33
Bassist John Spiker of Filter is 32
Actress Heather Hemmens (“Hellcats”) is 29.

On July 10, 1950, “Your Hit Parade” premiered on NBC.

In 1967, contracts for Kenny Rogers and other members of the New Christy Minstrels expired. They then formed a new band called The First Edition. It released its first album later in the year and had hits with songs like “Ruby Don’t Take Your Love To Town.”

In 1968, guitarist Eric Clapton announced the breakup of Cream. The band played a farewell concert later in the year.

In 1974, David Bowie recorded his two-night stand in Philadelphia that was later released as “David Live.”

In 1979, Chuck Berry was sentenced to four months in prison for tax evasion dating back to 1973.

In 1986, Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia lapsed into a diabetic coma. He was released from the hospital a few weeks later.

In 1995, a concert featuring Boyz II Men, Mary J. Blige and Montell Jordan was postponed in Springfield, Illinois, after four of Blige’s dancers were hurt in a traffic accident.

In 1997, singer Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders married Colombian sculptor Lucho Brieva in London.

In 2000, Diana Ross announced the cancellation of the rest of The Supremes’ “reunion” tour, which featured Scherrie Payne and Lynda Laurence. They were in The Supremes after Ross had left the group.

(AP) — The lead singer of the heavy metal band Slipknot says musical equipment worth $36,000 has been stolen from his home and storage units in Iowa.

Corey Taylor told police two guitars that had belonged to Slipknot bassist Paul Gray, who died in May 2010, were among the items stolen.

Taylor told police that he suspected a friend stole the gear while he and his wife were touring Europe. They returned to their West Des Moines home late Saturday and reported the theft Sunday.

Some of the equipment has been recovered from a guitar store.

No arrests have been reported.

Actor James Hampton (“F Troop”) is 77
Actor Brian Dennehy is 75
Actor Richard Roundtree is 71
Actor Chris Cooper is 62
TV personality-turned-musician John Tesh is 61
Country singer David Ball is 60
Singer Debbie Sledge of Sister Sledge is 59
Actor Jimmy Smits is 58
Actor Tom Hanks is 57
Singer Marc Almond of Soft Cell is 56
Actress Kelly McGillis is 56
Singer Jim Kerr of Simple Minds is 54
Singer Courtney Love is 49
Bassist Frank Bello of Anthrax is 48
Actor David O’Hara (“The District”) is 48
Drummer Xavier Muriel of Buckcherry is 45
Actor Scott Grimes (“ER,” ”Party of Five”) is 42
Musician Jack White is 38
Actor Fred Savage is 37
Singer Dan Estrin of Hoobastank is 37
Singer-actress Kiely (KEE’-lee) Williams of 3LW (“Cheetah Girls” films) is 27
Actor Mitchel Musso (“Hannah Montana”) is 22
Actress Georgie Henley (“The Chronicles of Narnia”) is 18.

On July ninth, 1935, Jimmy Stewart’s first film, “Murder Man,” opened.

In 1955, Pat Boone released his version of “Ain’t That A Shame,” which became his first number one hit.

In 1956, Dick Clark made his debut as host of “Bandstand” on a Philadelphia TV station. The name was changed to “American Bandstand” when it went to ABC.

In 1968, The Temptations appeared at the Valley Forge Music Fair in Pennsylvania without baritone David Ruffin. He had been fired by Motown Records because he wanted to change the direction of the band. He was later rehired as a solo artist.

In 1971, Jim Morrison of The Doors was buried in Paris, six days after he was found dead in a bathtub. Word of Morrison’s death was finally given to the press after the burial, apparently to spare family members from being approached by reporters.

In 1972, Paul McCartney began a European tour in France with his band Wings. It was his first tour since the last Beatles tour in 1966.

In 1975, Cher filed court papers to dissolve her marriage to Gregg Allman of The Allman Brothers. They had been married just nine days.

In 1981, The Jacksons kicked off a 36-city tour, which grossed them $5.5 million dollars and led to “The Jacksons Live” album.

In 1992, Mick Jagger became a grandfather when his daughter Jade gave birth to a baby girl.

In 1995, the Grateful Dead gave their last concert with Jerry Garcia, at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

In 1999, Rolling Stone Mick Jagger and model Jerry Hall divorced. They were together for 21 years. The court hearing took 12 minutes.

In 2001, the Backstreet Boys announced they were postponing their tour because singer A.J. McLean was entering rehab.

(AP) — Country music singer Randy Travis is in critical condition at a Texas hospital after being hospitalized for heart problems.

A news release from the singer’s publicist says the 54-year-old Travis was admitted to the hospital Sunday in Dallas and was in critical condition Monday evening.

Publicist Kirt Webster said Travis is suffering from viral cardiomyopathy, a heart condition caused by a virus. The Mayo Clinic website says the disease weakens and enlarges the heart muscle, making it harder for the heart to pump blood and carry it to the rest of the body. It can lead to heart failure.

Long a popular figure in country music, the North Carolina-born singer had been putting his life back together after a series of embarrassing public incidents involving alcohol.