Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry member Mel Tillis is in critical condition, following colon surgery in a Nashville. The legend underwent the surgery on Wednesday, when complications arose. Social media is ablaze with friends and fans of the 83-year old singer and songwriter asking for prayers for the singer of hits like "Coca-Cola Cowboy" and "Good Woman Blues".

Mel Tillis came to prominence in the ‘50s, gaining notoriety first as a songwriter, and later as a solo artist. Tillis' early success as a songwriter came when he wrote songs for Charley Pride, Waylon Jennings, Kenny Rogers, Linda Ronstadt, and host of others. But its Tillis' signature speech impediment, often the source of his own jokes, that endears him to many fans. In his 1984 autobiography
Stutterin' Boy, Tillis revealed that his stutter, which he claimed never affected his singing, was the result of a bout with Malaria that he suffered as a child.

A pair of honors that were a long time in coming, Tillis was inducted into both the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007. His induction into the Opry was double sweet, as he was inducted by his daughter Pam, who had been welcomed as an Opry member in 2000.

Every one here at KLAW101 sends our prayers and well wishes on a speedy recovery.

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