Mom is sure Luther Vandross will recover

NEW YORK, May 12 (UPI) -- Luther Vandross' mother said Monday she believes "it is just a matter of time" before the R&B star recovers from the stroke he suffered in New York on April 16.

The singer's record company, J Records, released a statement by Mary Vandross in which she said she travels from her home in Philadelphia to a New York hospital "every two or three days" to visit her son.

"I hold his hand and pray with him," she said. "Right after the stroke, he was in grave danger; it was very touch and go. But I feel that it is just a matter of time before he improves and to me, his appearance gets better daily."

Luther Vandross was comatose at a New York hospital Monday, recovering from a stroke and a tracheotomy made necessary by a case of pneumonia.

A tracheotomy involves cutting a hole the throat to insert a tube that allows a patient to breathe. The Grammy-winning singer's business manager, Carmen Romano, said surgeons managed to perform the operation without damaging the singer's vocal cords.

Doctors at the Weill Cornell Medical Center reportedly have not determined whether Luther Vandross suffered permanent neurological damage as a result of the stroke. Mary Vandross said Monday her son's recuperation is going slowly.

"But I believe there is nothing too hard for God," she said.

Mary Vandross said she was overwhelmed by the number of people who call to wish her well. She said the Rev. Jesse Jackson calls frequently to pray with her.

Luther Vandross' mother is one of a small group of people who are permitted to visit him in intensive care. She said two of his nieces who live in New York visit him every day.

"We play music for Luther all day long and we talk to him too," she said. "We play all his favorites -- Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, and we play his music, too."

Mary Vandross said they play Vandross' new song, "Dance with My Father," for him.

"We play that one a lot since Luther told me that he thought that was the best song he ever wrote," she said.

Luther Vandross' new album, "Dance with My Father" -- featuring appearances by Foxy Brown, Beyoncé Knowles, Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes and Stevie Wonder -- is due in stores June 10.

His mother said she hoped he would return to good health to find that his latest project was doing well on the charts.

"He is going to recover and when he does, I want him to be greeted with a big success story," she said. "He has to recover, he's all I have left, he's my last surviving child."

Luther Vandross has sold more than 20 million albums in the United States.

He won Grammy awards for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for the track "Your Secret Love" (1996), the album "Power of Love" (1991) and the single "Here and Now" (1990). The "Power of Love" single also won a Best R&B Song Grammy for songwriters Marcus Miller & Teddy Vann.