Ian Tyson doing well after open-heart surgery in Alberta: publicist

CALGARY – Singer-songwriter Ian Tyson is said to be doing well after undergoing open-heart surgery in Alberta.

His longtime publicist, Richard Flohil, says the 82-year-old folk-country artist is “resting comfortably” at a hospital near his ranch in Longview, Alta.

He says Tyson recently underwent surgery at Calgary’s Foothills Hospital to replace an aortic valve.

In a statement, Flohil says Tyson “is wryly amused that the replacement valve came from a cow’s heart.”

Flohil says Tyson is “just itching to get back to the ranch” and plans to go ahead with a limited schedule of performances next year.

Those performances include the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nev., in January.

The British Columbia-raised artist, who once had his own TV show, is known for hits including “Four Strong Winds,” “Someday Soon” and “Summer Wages.”

He released his 13th album, “Carnero Vaquero,” earlier this year.