Phil Vassar ‘Blessed to Be Alive’ After Suffering Heart Attack, Stroke
By Movieguide® Contributor
Country singer Phil Vassar says he is feeling “blessed” after his heart attack and near-fatal stroke.
“Well, I wish I could tell you more about it, but I don’t know,” he told Fox News. “I just remember I wasn’t feeling well and…just, something wasn’t right.”
Vassar continued, “I was at home, thank goodness, when all this happened. My girlfriend was with me, she called 911, [and] they talked her through CPR…they got me to Vanderbilt [Hospital], which is right down the street, quickly, and they stinted my heart and arteries and fixed that right away. Three days later is when I had the stroke, then they sent me to Atlanta for about five months.”
“I’m just blessed to be here,” the country singer finished. “I feel great and I’m ready to go on with my life and have some fun.”
Vassar spoke in more detail about his 2023 health issues in an interview with Taste of Country.
“I just had genetic heart disease,” he explained. “I wasn’t a drinker and a partier, or any of that. I worked out every day. You know, I kept feeling bad so I kept really concentrating on my health and trying to — I never ate anything fried or anything like that. Never did. It just caught up with me, you know, the genes.”
Vassar added, “It was a weird thing, but I dropped dead. I was dead for 30 minutes a couple of times — died. No heartbeat. No heartbeat at all.”
READ MORE: Country Star ‘Dropped Dead’ Twice and Lived to Talk About It
Now, Vassar is preparing to head out on tour, which coincides with the 25th anniversary of his first No. 1 hit, “Just Another Day in Paradise.”
“I’ve cut six new songs which is really exciting, and we’ll be releasing those in the coming months,” Vassar told Forbes. “And for the Paradise shows we’ve got a video wall showing videos from 25 years ago. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
He continued, “I’m so happy I’m here and can still do what I love. I’m so blessed to be alive and I don’t take it for granted. I love playing with my band and can’t wait to get back out there and rock the free world.”
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