Robert Fripp revealed he’s recovering from two emergency medical procedures after suffering a heart attack earlier this year.
The King Crimson mastermind, 78, began worrying about chest pains as he prepared to fly from his home in England to Italy for a concert in April.
In the latest edition of Toyah & Robert’s Upbeat Moments, below, Fripp’s wife Toyah Willcox confirmed it had been an emotional time, but that her husband is on the mend. “You were in the right place at the right time, and I am so grateful,” she told him.
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“On Saturday, Apr. 6, I flew to Italy,” Fripp explained. “I’d been suffering what I considered to be acid reflux for a couple of weeks before.” He’d felt the same way in the past, he added, so thought he’d get over it – although he admitted it “felt a little more” on that occasion.
He emailed ahead to arrange for a doctor’s visit in Italy, but on arrival his companions decided to take him to the cardiac hospital in Bergamo. “I was in A&E thinking, ‘Oh, they’re going to give me a prescription for acid reflux,’” he said. Eventually a doctor told him, “You’re supposed to have 10 of these but you’ve got 500 of them,” presumably referring to troponin levels, which can indicate a heart attack. It transpired he’d suffered just such an attack around two weeks earlier, but hadn’t known.
After Willcox said he’d undergone five hours of surgery, intensive care then a second surgery, Fripp joked about being shaved by an orderly and not understanding why – with his wife explaining that it was to limit the presence of potential infections.
‘Fortunate’ Robert Fripp on Medication for Life
He said that, at one point, he’d wanted to check himself out and fly home, but was advised it could cause more damage to heart. She explained: “He doesn’t speak Italian and very few people spoke English, so he kept stripping off when he was actually [being] asked what he wanted to eat!”
She continued: “My husband has never had anything wrong with them – he’s only had one stay in hospital when he was about 22. He’s not experienced hospital as perhaps many times as women have, especially at my age.” She told him: “I’m so proud of you and so grateful to your team … they were keeping us informed literally every hour; they were so on top of it.”
Fripp is now on some medication for life and getting used to a new health balance, which he expects to have under control within two months. “I’m a very happy fortunate man,” he said, before telling viewers: “If you think you have heartburn or acid reflux, really look into it – it might be something more.”
He also admitted he’d gone ahead with the concert he was in Italy to play, with 124 members of The League of Crafty Guitarists, and that he’d enjoyed the church-based event immensely. “You went to work!” Willcox accused. “No, dear, I went to play with my friends!” he replied.
Watch Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox Discuss His Heart Attack
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