Earth, Wind & Fire Drummer Briefly Wakes From Coma, Jokes With Family Before Being Sedated Again

John Paris, the drummer of acclaimed funk band Earth, Wind and Fire, suffered from a “cardiac incident” on August 6.

The band and Paris’s family gave an update on his condition on Facebook on Thursday.

“Today, we wanted to share a more personal update on John’s journey,” the update reads. “Over the past several days, we have intentionally kept many details of John’s condition private out of respect for him and his family. As information has begun to circulate publicly, we feel it’s important that everyone hears the story directly from us so there is no confusion about where things stand today.”

The message shares that, upon arriving to the hospital, Paris was put in an induced coma. After getting some care, he opened his eyes and was able to be with family for a while. It was then, as the message reads, “everyone saw the John they know and love.”

Unfortunately, that moment didn’t last too long. Paris’ doctors chose to put him back in a coma.

“Not too long after that John’s blood pressure began to rise, and he had difficulty breathing,” the post shares. “His doctors made the difficult decision to sedate him again so his body could stabilize and continue receiving the best possible care. Today, John remains resting under sedation while his medical team carefully monitors him and determines the safest path forward.”

“John’s journey is far from over,” the post reads. “There is so much hope that surrounds him.”

Music Creates “Small Moments” of Hope During Recovery

Paris’ hospitalization is a result of a medical emergency that happened just last week. According to TMZ, a fire engine and private ambulance arrived for Paris at the Chase Center in San Fransico, where Earth, Wind and Fire was going to perform last Thursday.

His emergency, described as a “cardiac incident,” forced the group to cancel and postpone the event, shortly before going onstage.

Luckily, refunds will be available at the point of purchase for those who had tickets.

According to the Facebook post shared by Paris’ family, the drummer is still responsive, even while under sedation. The thing that elicits a reaction? Mostly, it’s music.

“Although this has been an emotional roller coaster, there have continued to be small moments that give those closest to him hope,” Paris’ family writes. “Even now, John appears to show slight responses when music is played. For a man whose life has been devoted to music, those moments have been incredibly meaningful to everyone at his bedside.”

The message concludes by saying that updates will be shared when there is “meaningful news to report.”

 Photo by: Chris McKay/Getty Images