Robert Fripp is grateful that he’s alive.
Robert, best known as the guitarist and co-founder of King Crimson, gave an update on his life alongside his beloved wife, Toyah Wilcox. In a video posted to their YouTube channel on May 10, the prog rock icon said he’d suffered a heart attack “but hadn’t known it.”
“On Saturday, Apr. 6, I flew to Italy,” said Robert. He was scheduled to perform with 124 members of The Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists at Villa Sancelso in Castione della Presolana. But he could tell something was wrong.
“I’d been suffering what I considered to be acid reflux for a couple of weeks before,” he said. “I had this in 2019, and though, ‘oh, just a little acid reflux. I’d deal with this.’ But on the Saturday morning I flew, it felt a little bit more.”
Robert arranged a doctor’s visit in Italy, but upon his arrival in Bergamo, his companions didn’t take any chances. They took him straight to “the leading cardiac hospital in Italy.”
“I was in A&E thinking, ‘Oh, they’re going to give me a prescription for acid reflux,’” said Robert, before the doctor gave him the news. “‘You’re supposed to have 10 of these, but you’ve got 500 of them,’” said Robert, likely referring to his troponin levels (“That’s a measurement in your blood,” said Toyah).
High troponin levels can indicate a heart attack, according to MedlinePlus. Toyah said her husband underwent five hours of surgery, intensive care, and then a second operation.
“My husband has never had anything wrong with them,” said Tonyah. “He’s only had one stay in hospital when he was about 22. He’s not experienced [a] hospital as perhaps many times as women have, especially at my age.”
“I’m so proud of you and so grateful to your team who kept us all informed,” she added, wiping away tears. After the surgeries, Robert still managed to make the gig and play with all of his “friends.”
The rock legend is now on medication for life, and his wife says he’s “getting used to the balance.”
A very “fortunate” Robert then advised everyone watching: “If you think you have heartburn or acid reflux, really look into it. It might be something more.”
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