Grand Ole Opry's Little Jimmy Dickens, 94, in 'critical care' with undisclosed illness
Little Jimmy Dickens of Grand Ole Opry fame has been hospitalized since Christmas Day with an undisclosed illness.
Jessie Schmidt, a publicist for the Opry, said in a news release on Sunday that Dickens was admitted to a Nashville-area hospital on December 25 and that he's in 'critical care.'
His last performance at the Opry was on December 20 as part of his birthday celebration.
In hospital: Little Jimmy Dickens, shown in November 2009, has been hospitalised since Christmas Day in the Nashville, Tennessee area
The country music legend turned age 94 a day earlier.
Dickens, who is 4ft11, has performed on the Opry almost continuously since 1948.
He became an Opry member in 1948 and was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1983.
Comedic side: The singer appeared as Little Justin Bieber in a skit during the 2011 Country Music Awards
His hits include Take An Old Cold Tater (And Wait), Country Boy, Out Behind The Barn and May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose.
Dickens made a memorable appearance during the 2011 Country Music Awards hosted by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley.
The hosts introduced Little Justin Bieber to the crowd and Dickens came out poking fun of the Canadian pop star dressed in all-black with a leather jacket and a sideways New York Yankees baseball cap.
Hall of fame: Dickens has been performing on the Grand Ole Opry since 1948
He joked that his next single was titled It Ain't My Baby, Baby.
Paisley, 42, and fellow West Virginia native Dickens have been close with Dickens appearing in several of his music videos and Paisley calling Dickens 'one tough cookie' in a 2013 tweet referencing the singer's upcoming radiation treatment for a pre-cancerous vocal cord condition.
The statement about his hospitalisation said that Jimmy’s wife Mona, his family, and the Opry were requesting prayers from his friends and fans around the world.
The Voice winner Craig Wayne Boyd took to Twitter on Sunday to ask followers to say a prayer for Dickens.
The Grand Ole Opry is a long-running weekly country music stage concert in Nashville that has featured the biggest stars of the genre including Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Paisley, Underwood, Ricky Skaggs, Mel Tillis and Martina McBride.
Playing doctor: Dickens played doctor during a skit at the Country Music Awards in 2012
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