Country music and gospel singer Randy Travis made what is reported to be his first public performance since his stroke in July of 2013, leaving him with only 20 percent chance of survival. On Feb. 3, he attended a funeral to celebrate the life and legacy of Kiepersol Estates founder Pierre de Wet at KE Bushman Celebration Center in Bullard, Texas. According to BullardNews.com, the singer shared the stage with Keipersol Estates employees and their families and performed "Amazing Grace" with an estimated 1,000 attendees.
The funeral service for de Wet also included a musical tribute from Alabama's Randy Owen. De Wet, a 61-year-old native of South Africa, is well known for his company, which owns 63 acres of vineyards that specializes in the production of estate-grown red and white wines. He also was highly regarded for his involvement in the Wounded Warriors Project.
This marks Travis' first known public performance since his stroke, reports Taste of Country.
There doesn't appear to be any videos of Travis' performance, reports The Boot, but a photo in a local newspaper's story about the funeral shows Travis, dressed in a dark suit and white dress shirt with an open collar, standing behind a microphone.
One fan, Sharon Wilkerson, on Facebook posted this about Travis: "We almost lost him and his magnificent voice. God is a God of miracles, and this past week, Randy was able to sing that very song at a funeral in Texas!!! Praise God for his Amazing Grace and healing power!!!! He's not through with Randy yet!!!"
Last month, Travis' longtime friend, Chuck Lipps, vice president of West Virginia-based concert promotion group RMA, spent time with the singer and reported on his ongoing recovery.
"He can talk, say words, but no sentences," Lipps told the Parkersburg News and Sentinel. "He is alert and knew me."
Lipps shared that he only planned on seeing Travis for half an hour, but he was doing so well that he ended up staying all day where the two spent time looking at old photo albums and reminiscing about old times.
"I think Randy will make a total recovery," Lipps added. "It was an amazing day. I am proud of him. He is lucky to be alive."
Since his life-threatening stroke, Travis made several public appearances, including at the Grand Ole Opry in September and a surprise appearance at the 2015 ACM Awards, which he followed with a heartfelt letter to his fans, posted on his website.
"Words can never express my gratitude to those who continue to believe in me, pray for me and keep me lifted up in thought and deed," Travis wrote in that note. "The power of music remains a source of inspiration and healing for me, and I still have a lot to share with you. It is my prayer that, with continued healing, one day soon, I will be back on that stage exchanging music with my fans, my friends, who with God's amazing grace, have brought me this far."
After his eleventh studio album, "A Man Ain't Made Of Stone," Travis began to focus on gospel music and recorded five gospel albums between 2000 and 2005. he co-wrote about half of the song on his second gospel album, "Rise and Shine." In the song "That's Jesus," Travis reveals he is no longer afraid to die because he knows that if he does, that's when he will meet Jesus.
