Country-rapper Colt Ford remains in intensive care after suffering a heart attack April 4 following an Arizona show. Despite “grim odds” for survival, the “Dirt Road Anthem” singer is reportedly “doing better by the minute.” Still, with a long road of recovery ahead, Ford has canceled or rescheduled all summer tour dates.
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Colt Ford Is Still Recovering
Ford had a show scheduled for Thursday (April 18) in Woodford, Virginia. That performance — along with all gigs through Aug. 30 — has been canceled or postponed.
Refunds are available at the point of purchase and all existing tickets will be honored for new shows, according to Taste of Country.
Ford’s team said in an April 9 statement that his condition was “steadily improving in a positive direction.”
“At this time, his family is requesting privacy and appreciates your continued thoughts and prayers,” the statement read.
Mike Flaskey, the CEO of Mike Flaskey Entertainment, posted April 11 that the singer was “awake and talking, after being incapacitated for 7 days.”
“God has worked a miracle and we need those prayers to continue for a full recovery!” Flaskey wrote.
Prayers and support have been pouring in for Ford from both the country music and golf circles. Before he was a multi-platinum artist, Ford (real name: Jason Brown) was a professional golfer.
He dropped his debut album, Ride Through the Country, in 2008. Ford has since released seven more studio albums, the most recent (Must Be The Country) in 2023.
[RELATED: How Colt Ford Helped Jason Aldean Land a Country-Rap Hit With “Dirt Road Anthem”]
The Georgia native has charted eight times on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs. He was the first — and so far, only — artist to have a number one album on Billboard’s top country and top rap charts.
A Timeline of the Country-Rapper’s Health Issues
Although Ford is famously private, the singer has opened up in the past about previous health issues. In 2021, he was diagnosed with eye cancer.
“I remember them saying, ‘This ain’t good’ and ‘You gotta get this out,” Ford said at the time. “They wanted me to go see a cornea specialist…and that’s when I started getting really nervous.”
Ford underwent surgery and treated the cancer with chemotherapy eye drops.
The artist has also been diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis. Myasthenia Gravis is an autoimmune disease that causes antibodies to break down the nerves’ ability to communicate with muscles. This results in moderate to severe weakness of muscles in the body.
In May of 2023, Ford told Taste Of Country that the disease has further aggravated his issues with his eyes, and he has no control over the muscle movements of his right eye.
Featured image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
