Is Ronnie McDowell still married? What we know about country singer’s family as he’s rushed to hospital

Ronnie McDowell was rushed to the hospital on Saturday, June 21, during a show in Pennsylvania. His daughter-in-law Dana shared an update via an Instagram post regarding the country singer’s health. She posted a picture of her husband and father-in-law and wrote,

“Ronnie Dean has asked me to go ahead and let the public know that we need prayers for his dad. As a lot of you know they had a show in Pennsylvania today, and Ronnie had to be taken off stage by ambulance to a hospital. Please keep us covered in your prayers And please raise Ronnie up. He is loved by so many!!!!”

Ronnie Dean also posted a picture with his dad on his Facebook page, while Dana shared more updates in her following posts on Instagram. The McDowell family patriarch suffered a mini-stroke, confirmed by one of his MRIs, while he was released on Monday, June 23.

For those unaware, Ronnie McDowell garnered fame during the ‘70s and ‘80s for being an Elvis Presley impersonator. Following the King of Rock and Roll’s death, he released “The King Is Gone,” which got him mainstream attention. The track was ranked in the Top 20 on pop and country charts, according to AllMusic.

According to IMDb and Alchetron, Ronnie McDowell, who was born in 1950, has been married to Karen McDowell since March 1973. Per Famous Birthdays, the Tennessee-based singer-songwriter and actor is a father of five, including his sons Tyler Dean and Ronnie Jr. He also has daughters named Kara and Athena.

Ronnie McDowell’s two sons and a grandson are also musicians

Ronnie McDowell talked about his talented family members during a 2017 chat with Larry Ferguson of Mr. Nashville Talks. The veteran musician was asked about his grandson, a younger drummer in their family. McDowell started with his son Tyler Dean, who got signed to Curb Records when he was still a child. Ronnie said,

“I have a lot of talented people. Family members. I have Tyler Dean, who is a recording artist getting ready to record a new song.”

He mentioned his son and grandson, who are his namesakes. The singer-songwriter’s son, Ronnie Dean, is his drummer and tour manager. Ronnie McDowell Jr., who is married to Dana, is the father of Ronnie Garon. During the 2017 conversation, A Tribute to the King singer fondly said,

“There's actually three of us – Me, my older son, who is my drummer, Ronnie Dean. Who is probably one of the best drummers ever and I'm not just saying that ‘cause he's my kid. Everybody in Nashville tells me the same thing. But he's not only playing with me [...] he plays with the Buffet band.”

Ronnie then mentioned his grandson,

“And so then my grandson, who is Ronnie Garon McDowell. He started playing the congas and the bongos and his timing is impeccable. Me? I can't chew gum and Pat my feet at the same time. So those two [Ronnie Dean and Ronnie Garon] did not get that from me.”

Towards the end of the interview, Ronnie McDowell spoke about his family, asserting how important they are to him. He said,

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“First and foremost, that's [family] the most important thing to me, it's not the hit records. Now, I am doing what I have wanted to do since I was four, but family is first and foremost and we all have each other's back and that's the bottom line.”

Unlike Tyler Dean and Ronnie Jr., their sisters Kara and Athena are not musicians. Kara keeps a low profile, while Athena is quite active on social media. She frequently posts about her family and life on social media. Athena McDowell-Kittrell also has a Twitch account, AthenaRonae, where she previously streamed Fortnite a couple of years back. At the same time, she also hosted The Athena Ronae Show on YouTube.

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