Nearly three weeks after suffering a heart attack following one of his performances, country star Colt Ford has broken his silence. The singer made a virtual appearance on the Big D & Bubba radio show, from his hospital bed, and revealed that he “died three times” before medical professionals were able to get him stabilized.
“It’s just been a traumatic, crazy experience, guys. I don’t even remember coming out here to do a show in Phoenix,” Ford shared, then going on to reveal that his heart attack struck right after he’d texted his fiancé. “I died three times. Luckily, my band came out to check on me…they came out to check on me, and then all of a sudden they were like, ‘Oh God,’ and then that is when all hell broke loose.”
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Ford went on to praise his friend and fellow country star Brantley Gilbert for jumping into action and making sure he got help, telling first responders, “I don’t care what you got to do, get him to the other hospital, ASAP.”
Once he got to the hospital, doctors were able to survey the situation and determined that Ford would need surgery. “I had so much trauma in my body and my heart, I had to have three stents put in,” Ford shared before going on to express gratitude for his medical team.
“This Mayo Clinic out here in Phoenix, if it was going to happen, God could not have had me in a better place,” he said. “The big doc out here said, ‘I wouldn’t give me 1%, but I give you 0.1% that you’d survive.” After the heart attack, Ford wound up in a coma and didn’t wake up until seven days later.
Ford has since taken to social media to speak directly to his fans, saying in an Instagram video, “I just want to tell you guys, thank y’all for all the prayers, the love, the comments, the messages. I got a long way to go, but I promise you this ol’ country boy will get back. It probably won’t be this year, and I hate I gotta miss all these shows, but I’m coming back.”
“It’s tough on everybody,” he continued. “You don’t realize that until you get into a situation,” he said. “Make sure you take care of yourself. Things can sneak up on you. But know that I’m coming back. I’m coming back, I promise you. I love y’all.”
Ford has since canceled all of his tour dates through spring and summer, while he recovers.
