The country music star Phil Vassar has shocked his fans by revealing that he died after suffering a heart attack and a stroke within the past year. Twice!
Phil Vassar Died… Twice
“I dropped dead. I was dead for 30 minutes a couple of times. No heartbeat. No heartbeat at all,” Vassar, 62, told Taste Of Country.
Vassar said that he was on a Christmas tour with Deana Carter when he saw his life flash before his eyes.
“I don’t remember any of it, but I know I wasn’t feeling well. And I just had genetic heart disease.” Vassar said he “wasn’t a drinker and a partier or any of that. I worked out every day. … I kept feeling bad, so I kept really concentrating on my health and trying to — I never ate anything fried or anything like that. Never did. It just caught up with me, you know, the genes.”
Vassar revealed that the first responders shocked him “11 times” and that his ribs were broken from the effort.
“They did a heck of a job getting me back,” Vassar added.
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Vassar ‘Dropped Dead’
But Vassar’s nightmare had only just started.
Three days later, Vassar had a stroke while he was still in the hospital.
“They iced me down, and they said I was going, ‘Why was it so cold?’ Cause you’re on ice,” he recalled. “So, it was a weird thing, but I dropped dead.”
In the wake of these experiences, Vassar feels “great” and is appreciative of just “being alive.”
“Thank goodness for medicine. I probably would not have lived,” he added. “You think you’re doing everything right, and then it all goes wrong. … It’s just weird that way.”
Vassar has since made a full recovery. In fact, he’s performed over one hundred shows since he died twice!
“When you go through something as life-changing as a heart attack, you become more introspective and sentimental,” he told People Magazine back in February. “I want to put out music that reflects that.”
“I have a lot of energy and a brand-new outlook on life that I’m bringing on the road and I am ready to throw down,” he continued.
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Vassar’s History
Vassar skyrocketed to fame in the 1990s after releasing his debut album. In the years since then, he’s released nine other albums. Vassar has also co-wrote songs for a long list of A-listers such as Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina, Collin Raye, and Alan Jackson.
Vassar is currently on tour in the United States. His final tour date is scheduled for November of this year.
“I feel great. I mean, I love singing…I appreciate it more, I can tell you that,” he said. “We appreciate being here.”
Vassar has clearly been through more than most of us could imagine in the past year. Please join us in saying a prayer for his good health in the future!
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