Famed Guitarist Robert Fripp Recovering From Multiple Emergency Heart Surgeries

May 13, 2025 12:20 pm

Gaining titles like composer, record producer, and musician, Robert Fripp explored a career in music alongside the rock band King Crimson. Known for his abilities with a guitar, he also got the chance to collaborate with stars like Blondie, Daryl Hall, Brian Eno, David Bowie, and numerous others. When looking at his discography, he apparently contributed to over 700 songs. Spending decades in the music industry, the musician recently discussed suffering a heart attack while traveling for a concert.

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Just last month, Fripp prepared to travel from England to Italy for a concert. Nothing out of the ordinary, the musician recalled suffering from what he believed to be acid reflux. Battling through the discomfort, he decided to go ahead and book a doctor’s appointment while in Italy. Taking to the cardiac hospital in Bergamo, Fripp said, “I was in A&E thinking, ‘Oh, they’re going to give me a prescription for acid reflux.’” But the day took an unexpected turn when the doctor explained that his troponin levels were at “500.”

Robert Fripp Urges Fans To Get Checked

With Fripp going through two surgeries, he continuously wanted to fly back home. His wife, Toyah Willcox, said, “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!”

For Fripp, the experience was something entirely new. Willcox noted the musician never spent a great deal of time in the hospital. “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. 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.”

While knowing how fortunate he was at that moment, Fripp used his health scare to help encourage his fans to get checked. “I’m a very happy fortunate man. If you think you have heartburn or acid reflux, really look into it – it might be something more.”

(Photo by Lorne Thomson/Redferns)