Dave Edmunds, the veteran Welsh roots rocker known for his solo work and his tenure in the popular short-lived band Rockpile, has experienced a major health crisis and appears to be in gave condition.
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According to a Facebook message posted July 29 by his wife, Cici, the 81-year-old singer/guitarist suffered “a major cardiac arrest” and had to be revived via CPR.
[RELATED: 5 Songs Displaying the New Wave/Rockabilly Brilliance of Dave Edmunds]
Cici Edmunds explained in shocking detail how Dave, her “beloved husband of 40 years,” died in her arms before a nurse at their home revived him by “performing heavy duty CPR.”
Cici explained that Dave was then brought to a hospital, where “the doctors at the ICU operating room intubated [him] after by a miracle resurrecting him for a moment.”
Sadly, Edmunds’ wife revealed that Dave “very clearly has brain damage and severe memory loss etc.” She added that “the risk of yet another major cardiac arrest is high. And if that occurs there is no chance for Dave.”
Cici’s Shocking Details About Dave’s Heart Attack
In her Facebook post, Cici shared graphic and harrowing details about her husband’s heart attack.
“He died in my arms while I desperately tried to keep him alive,” she wrote, “while trying to clear his airways from all of the fluids that come out of a human beings body when we pass away.”
Cici continued, “As I’m on the floor with Dave dead … lots of fluid is coming out of his mouth and the other places in his body. I keep my emotions in check … even though I’m absolutely heartbroken and terrified at the shock of having my beloved husband dead in my arms. My nurse is also on the floor right next to myself and Dave pumping away really hard performing heavy CPR.”
Cici then revealed that the nurse told her Dave was dead and that she was going to stop CPR.
“I refuse to give in or give up on a miraculous intervention[,] anything to get my husband back alive,” Cici said. “The nurse bless her keeps pumping away even harder performing heavy duty CPR now. I’m still wiping fluid off his body parts, especially his mouth to clear his airways. Every second is vital. So no time for emotions here. But oh boy I’m in shock.”
She added, “I’m still in shock and I believe I have PTSD from the horrific experience. My brilliant talented funny and special Dave could really use as many [people’s] prayers and good wishes so to speak.”
Cici Edmunds Also Is Very Ill
In her post, Cici Edmunds also noted that she herself is in “extremely ill health.”
According to a July 5 post on her Facebook page, she had been hospitalized “with severe pain and pancreatic attacks.”
“I’m desperately trying to gain some weight on my little skin and [bones] frame at [75 pounds],” she wrote. “I’m looking ghost like with my fair blonde white hair and skin[,] so fair you could miss me. Ha. Ha.”
Cici added, “I feel blessed to still be alive. [Wonders] of modern medicine and technology is quite remarkable. And I’m tremendously grateful to my specialist C and Pancreatic and upper Bowl Gallbladder specialist physicians.”
More About Dave Edmunds
According to numerous reports, Edmunds has suffered from heart issues for many years. In 2017, he retired from performing due to his poor health.
Edmunds first came to fame as a member of the Wales-based blues-rock group Love Sculpture. In 1968, the band scored a U.K. hit with a cover of Soviet-Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian’s instrumental piece “Sabre Dance.”
After going solo in 1970, Edmunds scored the biggest chart hit of his career with “I Hear You Knocking,” a cover of a tune that was a 1955 R&B smash for Smiley Lewis. Fats Domino also released a version of the song in 1961. Edmunds’ rendition topped the U.K. singles chart and also reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1972, Edmunds released an album titled Rockpile, and for the tour in support of the record, he billed his band as Dave Edmunds and Rockpile. In 1976, he re-formed the group with singer/bassist Nick Lowe, guitarist Billy Bremner, and original Rockpile drummer Terry Williams.
At the time, Edmunds and Lowe were signed as solo artists to different labels, so they were unable to record as Rockpile. Instead, for several years, the group served as backing band to Edmunds’ and Lowe’s respective solo efforts. Dave scored a number of U.K. hits in the late 1970s with Rockpile as his backing group.
Rockpile finally were able to record an album under their own moniker in 1980, the acclaimed Second of Pleasure. Tensions between Edmunds and Lowe led to the band’s breakup in 1980.
Dave then resumed his solo career, and enjoyed some moderate commercial success during the 1980s. He scored a Top-40 hit on the Hot 100 in 1983 with “Slipping Away,” written by ELO’s Jeff Lynne.
(Photo by David Redfern/Redferns)
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