Carlos Santana Undergoing Heart Surgery After Emergency Hospitalization

By Allison Schonter

Legendary guitarist Carlos Santana is recovering after he underwent a successful unscheduled heart procedure this week. The famed musician made the announcement through a video posted to his official Twitter Wednesday afternoon shortly after the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino shared that Santana's scheduled performance that night had been canceled due to "a Non-Covid related situation that has been corrected."

In a video message shared with fans, Santana revealed that "last Saturday, I had an incident where my wife had to take me to the hospital because I had this thing happening in my chest." He went on to explain that after being taken to the hospital, "we found out we needed to take care of it." Michael Vrionis, president of Universal Tone Management, said the 74-year-old guitarist underwent an "unscheduled heart procedure," according to the Associated Press, though further details were not provided.

Due to the procedure and his ongoing recovery, Santana also confirmed in the Wednesday afternoon video that several of his upcoming Las Vegas concerts scheduled for December have been canceled. He told his fans, "I'm going to be taking time out for a little bit to make sure I replenish and I rest and catch up with my health so that when I play for you I would play the way I'm used to and give you 150%. I wouldn't show up unless I can do that." The 10-time Grammy winner said he plans to return for his performances scheduled for January 2022.

"Carlos is doing fantastic and is anxious to be back on stage soon," Vrionis added of Santana's condition. "He profoundly regrets that this 'speed bump' necessitated the cancellation of his upcoming performances. He is looking forward to seeing you all very soon."

In addition to his ongoing Las Vegas shows, the rock band Santana released its 26th album, Blessings and Miracles, in October of this year. The album includes collaborations with both Chris Stapleton and Rob Thomas, the latter collaboration marking a reunion between the two musicians 20 years after the release of their hit "Smooth." Santana's health scare also comes a little more than a year after he announced the death of his younger brother, guitarist Jorge Santana, in May 2020.

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