Concertgoer Says Colt Ford 'Looked Tired' Moments Before Heart Attack
Country singer Colt Ford was rushed to the ICU on Thursday, April 4 after suffering from a heart attack shortly after wrapping his show at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row in Gilbert, Arizona.
The Blast spoke to Ford's rep on Friday, April 6, who confirmed the country music singer was in stable, but critical condition and remained in the Intensive Care Unit at the Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona as of 2:00 p.m. ET that same day.
Colt Ford Suffers Heart Attack Following Performance
The 'Times We Had' singer suffered a heart attack after performing at an Arizona bar on Thursday, April 4.
Ford completed the show, but sirens were heard shortly after in response to Ford's heart attack. He was rushed to the ICU.
The country music artist has since been moved to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, a spokesperson for the singer told 12News. His last known condition is "stable, but critical."
Concertgoer Speaks Out Following Colt Ford Concert
One concertgoer, Kelli Williams, who watched Ford perform, spoke to the news outlet, saying that “the only thing I’d say is toward the end he kind of looked tired, but, I mean, he went 110% and he was all over the stage and interacting with the crowd.”
Shortly after the concert ended, as Williams was walking back to the car, she says she "could just hear all the sirens. And then when we heard about it, it was like, ‘Oh man, I hope he’s OK.’”
Another eyewitness, who spoke with TMZ, says they heard an officer yell that someone had passed out behind the bar, prompting security to run inside the bar.
Colt Ford's Medical History
The heart attack comes three years after the 53-year-old country music singer had revealed his eye cancer diagnosis.
"I went to a doctor in Georgia that specialized in cataracts and all that stuff, and I remember them saying, 'This ain't good' and 'You gotta get this out,'" he told People at the time. "They wanted me to go see a cornea specialist, Dr. Uyen Tran, in Nashville, and that's when I started getting really nervous."
“The doctor told me I was a week to 10 days from having to go on full chemo," the artist added.
After battling eye cancer, he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Myasthenia Gravis, which he says has “been tough." "The last year quite honestly got really hard for me. It's a disease and there's no cure for this," he told Taste of Country.
Ford said the autoimmune disease "affects the muscles in your face, your eyes, and your throat. It hadn't really affected my throat, but it really affected my eye. I had no control over my right eye. It really messes with your vision. I could see perfectly out of either eye, but then I would look together and I'd see three of you and you would be melting together like a lava lamp."
Colt Ford Says He Experiences 'Terrible Fatigue'
The country music singer also admitted that the Myasthenia Gravis makes him very fatigued.
“During the month of July last year, we played 20 shows, and I was averaging 17 hours a day of sleep,” he said. “There is a terrible fatigue factor that comes from it. They say there's no cure, but this doctor has me on these supplements that are really helping me. I'm in a dang better place than I was.”
The 53-year-old then explanied how being a people person has helped him through the tough years of his life. “I love being around people," he told Taste of Country. "And so, I had a lot of folks that love me and that supported me and pushed me to get through it. I feel like I'm on the other side. I've gotten out of that hole now, and I ain't going back down in it.”
Colt Ford Focuses On His Health and Music
Two years after going through eye surgery, Ford said he has "gotten in a lot better shape" and he "feels great.
"My life is in a great place. I'm getting married in October [2023]. I found my person. And I'm just as happy and excited as I've ever been about music, which is kind of hard to believe. I feel like I'm not even done making my best music," he told Taste Of Country.
The Blast last spoke to Colt Ford's reps at 2:00 p.m. ET on Friday, April 5 when Ford was confirmed to be in the ICU. We have reached back out for comment.
