(CelebrityAccess) — Country recording artist Ronnie McDowell was hospitalized after suffering an on-stage medical emergency at a show in Pennsylvania on Saturday night.
According to PennLive, the 75-year-old country star was performing at the Summer Solstice Music Festival in Oley, Pennsylvania, when he appeared to begin having trouble speaking.
He was subsequently taken from the stage and transported to a nearby hospital, where he remained until he was released on Monday, PennLive reported.
His son, Ronnie Dean McDowell Jr., shared an update on social media on Monday, noting that his father had suffered an on-stage stroke:
Dad is in good spirits today. He did suffer a mini stroke the other day on stage here in Pennsylvania. I knew something wasn’t right as I had his vocals in my in-ear monitor, and I could hear him slurring his words and forgetting the words to his songs that he has sung for many years. After a few minutes, I had Steve play a solo while I took my dad off side stage to ask him how he was feeling. He told me that he wasn’t OK, and that’s not how my strong dad talks. He said that he thought he might be having a stroke.
I immediately took him to the Sprinter for him to cool off. I asked the incredible promoter to bring over an EMT. He was incredibly helpful. He and I agreed that Dad was having a stroke based on his actions.
According to McDowell Jr., his father will need to undergo surgery within the next few weeks as part of his recovery.
Lionel Duke
On the same weekend, Lionel Duke, the drummer for the British soul band The Christians, suffered a serious heart attack while performing on stage at the On The Waterfront Festival at Liverpool’s Pier Head on Sunday night.
According to the BBC, The Christians were just two songs into their set when Duke appeared to suffer a medical emergency, prompting lead singer Gary Christian to call for help.
Fortunately, emergency medical technicians were on hand and provided assistance on stage before Duke was transported to a local hospital, where he was placed in a medically induced coma, the band’s manager Emma Roberts told the BBC.
The Christians subsequently shared an update from the hospital showing Duke awake and alert, though still in intensive care.
The Christians were performing at the festival as part of a lineup that included Sting, The Wombats, Kaleidoscope Orchestra, and The Wolfe Tones, among others.
