Stand-up comedian Ron White cancelled a handful of shows this week after he was diagnosed with a neck infection.
Sources close to the Blue Collar Comedy Tour member told TMZ he had to cancel his Bakersfield, California show on Thursday after his neck swelled, making it difficult for him to breathe or move.
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The 61-year-old White went to a hospital, where doctors thought he had a calcium deposit in his neck from dehydration. Thankfully, a CT scan also proved he did not have internal bleeding.
White is now on his way to Los Angeles to see his own doctor.
The comedian was forced to cancel the rest of his shows in California for the weekend and plans to reschedule. Sources told TMZ he felt sorry for disappointing his fans and hopes to get back on stage soon.
The shows White had scheduled for this weekend were on Friday in Santa Rosa and Saturday and Sunday in Napa.
According to TicketMaster, White has shows scheduled through next year. On Nov. 1, he is scheduled to perform in Norfolk, Virginia.
White is best known for performing with a glass of scotch in one hand and a cigar in the other. He also released a new Netflix special earlier this month called Ron White: If You Quit Listening I’ll Shut Up. He gained fame as a member of the original Blue Collar Comedy Tour with Jeff Foxworthy, Larry The Cable Guy and Bill Engvall, and has since appeared in several TV shows and movies.
In a 2015 interview with AOL, White claimed he filed paperwork to become an independent candidate for president for the 2016 election.
“For the last 30 years of my life, I’ve done nothing but non-stop touring across this country, back and forth, making these people laugh, eating with these people, drinking with these people,” White said at the time. “I know what they need, I know what they smoke, I know what they say, I know what hurts them, I know what they’re worried about.”
White said his campaign slogan would be “Vote Smart. Because You Can’t Fix Stupid.”
Although White already has a set style for his comedy, he told Las Vegas Magazine earlier this year he was open to trying anything to get an audience to laugh.
“I’ll try anything. That’s the biggest mistake you can make as a comic is not try it,” White said. “Give it a try, see if it will work. See if you can squeeze some blood out of the rock. Sometimes you can. The biggest mistake you can make is coming up with something you think is funny and decide not to try it because it’s too gutsy or it might not work, or whatever.”
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