Where is collin raye now

She was 9 years old and had lived with Raye her entire life. Surrounded by the yellow glow of the light in his dressing room at the Grand Ole Opry House, Raye has to be on stage in less than an hour. But in that moment, he's back in the yearslong fight to save his granddaughter's life.

The little girl struggled with respiratory issues and her throat had to be suctioned every few minutes. The paramedics arrived five minutes later and restarted her breathing. But she never regained consciousness. An MRI was scheduled so doctors could compare the new image to the one taken five days earlier when she was admitted to the Dallas hospital. The images revealed her brain had deteriorated by 50 percent.

The next day, with her mother in bed beside her, Raye watched as his granddaughter took her last breath. The family made the necessary funeral preparations. After the service, Raye hung back in the mausoleum when the rest of his family retreated to waiting cars. He wanted to see his granddaughter one last time.

He kissed her face and her hands and loved on her as much as he could because he knew when the vault door closed he would never see her again. But the good news is we did survive it. If his concerts are any indication, his fans will remain loyal. He says he sees teenagers at his shows who grew up listening to his music because of their parents. Of course, Raye always did have a wholesome, family-man image.

He was never marketed as a bad boy or a sex symbol. Heck, he even cut a children's album, "Counting Sheep," in The image "was not by design," he says, laughing. I was just myself, and the image kind of developed on its own. Reach the reporter at randy. Pecos Road, Gilbert. Details: , higleycenter. For more stories that matter, subscribe to azcentral. Facebook Twitter Email. Collin Raye finds strength in family tragedy; revisits classic songs on new album, tour. Haley died the following day, with Raye watching as she took her last breath.

Although it was a heartbreaking moment, the singer says his granddaughter's battle and death has helped him sing better. Real singing is emotion, and fans can hear that in your voice. I think nobody gets out free. Home News.