Country star Colt Ford recently shared a harrowing account of his near-death experience after a performance in Phoenix, Arizona, where he suffered a heart attack in April.
The 54-year-old artist talked about his ordeal in an interview on the website Big D & Bubba showing that he has no memory of the night.
“I didn’t even remember coming here to do a show in Phoenix and apparently we played this great, sold out show and it was incredible,” Ford said during the phone interview. “I went back to the bus, texted my fiancée ‘Hello baby’ and dropped dead.”
Ford described how he died twice before reaching the hospital and expressed gratitude for his band members who rushed to his aid. “I died twice. Luckily my band came to check on me… Suddenly all hell broke loose.”
His representative said Ford had recently performed at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row in Gilbert, Arizona, before the incident. He was found later in “stable but critical condition in intensive care.”
Ford recalled the moments after texting his fiancée: “I don’t remember anything.” He was told he was being transferred to another hospital for better care but “died on the way there” before he was resuscitated by doctors.
“The Lord had more for me to do, more music for me to make and hopefully make more change in some people’s lives,” Ford noted, reflecting on his survival.
When Ford regained consciousness two days later, his doctors gave him a dire prognosis. “My body and heart were so traumatized that three stents had to be inserted,” he said. “There’s just so much going on, and then all of a sudden my gallbladder burst.”
Despite his challenges, Ford expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support he received during his recovery. “It changed my life. It has changed spiritually. “Obviously it’s changed physically,” he shared emotionally.
Ford stressed the importance of appreciating every day and vowed to come back stronger than ever. “Live every day as if it were your last, because one day it will be,” he advised. “I’m going to try to come back bigger, stronger and better than ever.”
Ford has had health problems in recent years. The singer announced in 2021 that he had been diagnosed with eye cancer. After defeating it, Ford announced in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis.
“Last year I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called myasthenia gravis,” Ford said Taste of the country in May 2023 at the launch of his new album, Must be the country. “It was hard. To be honest, the last year has been really hard for me. It is a disease and there is no cure for it.”
According to the Mayo ClinicMyasthenia Gravis “causes the muscles under your voluntary control to feel weak and tire quickly. This happens when communication between nerves and muscles breaks down.”
Last week, the country singer shared a video from his hospital bed, showing a large chest scar from his recent surgery. He didn’t mince his words and admitted that he likely won’t be performing any concerts for the rest of the year as he focuses on recovery.
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