Country music star Colt Ford suffered a heart attack after his concert in Arizona on Thursday night. Ford, 53, had just finished his performance at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row, a restaurant and nightclub named after the hit singer, located in Gilbert, Arizona, when he suffered a medical emergency, as reported by 12News.
The “Workin’ on” singer was transported to Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, where he is currently in the Intensive Care Unit. Ford was listed in stable but critical condition. Ford, whose real name is Jason Farris Brown, is a prominent figure in the country-rap music genre and has collaborated on numerous tracks with other country music stars.
Unexpected Medical Emergency
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He, along with Brantley Gilbert, co-wrote “Dirt Road Anthem,” which they originally recorded before Jason Aldean made the song famous on his 2010 album “My Kinda Party.” Ford has collaborated with numerous stars including Jake Owen, Chase Rice, Walker Hayes, Toby Keith, Lady A, and Willie Nelson.
In 2022, Ford was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, a chronic neuromuscular autoimmune disease that causes weakness in the voluntary muscles.
The singer earlier said that the disease primarily affected his eye rather than his throat or face.
“It hadn’t really affected my throat, but it really affected my eye. I had no control over my right eye,” Colt told Taste of Country in 2023.
“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.”
Multiple Ailments
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A year earlier, he announced that he had been diagnosed with eye cancer but fortunately did not require full chemotherapy because it was detected early. “The doctor told me I was a week to 10 days from having to go on full chemo,” he told PEOPLE at the time.
Following the diagnosis, he underwent surgery and remarkably returned to the stage just days later, as reported by the outlet.
Originally from Georgia, Ford began his career as a professional golfer on the Nationwide Tour before discovering his passion for country and hip hop music.
In 2011, he was nominated for an ACM award for Vocal Event of the Year for his song “Cold Beer” with Jamey Johnson.
Ford’s most recent release was a single with DJ Cliffy D and Jesslee titled “Beers Back.” He was scheduled to perform at two other venues in Nevada and Arizona over the weekend before his hospitalization.
