Robert Fripp is recovering after reviewing an emergency surgery last month, the legendary guitarist has revealed.
King Crimson co-founder shared the news in a YouTube video sent with his wife, singer and actor Toyah Willcox, May 11. In the clip, the 78-year-old explained that he unconsciously suffered a heart attack in early April while traveling to Italy for a performance with Orchestra of Crafty guitarists.
Fripp initially believed that his symptoms were related to sour reflux. “I had a little bit of what I considered to be angry reflux for a few weeks,” he explained. “On Saturday morning I flew, it felt a little more.”
“I was in A+E didn’t quite know what was going on anything other than I knew they would do something, and one order came along and shaved my balls,” Fripp continued. “Now the dear man I really didn’t want his job on him at the time. Now that’s that thing. So you’re worried about my heart, fine. What are you doing to shave my balls?”
After landing in Bergamo on April 6, Fripp’s companions took him directly to a heart hospital instead of waiting for a planned medical appointment. There, doctors discovered dangerously elevated troponin levels, a protein that indicates the heart damage. “You should have 10 of these, but you have 500,” a doctor allegedly told him.
The guitarist underwent five hours of surgery, followed by intensive care and another operation. Despite the trial, Fripp still managed to perform with the 124-member immune in Villa Sancelso. He is now on medication for life and is slowly adapting to the change.
“It was great. The audience was done with orchestral maneuvers and it was really a magical event for me,” he added.
Willcox, visibly emotional in the video, praised the medical team and expressed his gratitude. “I’m so proud of you and so grateful to your team that kept us all informed,” she said. Fripp also called for fans to take symptoms seriously. “If you think you have heartburn or sour reflux, you really need to look at it. It can be something more.”
Fripp, who is largely considered one of the most innovative guitarists in rock history, founded King Crimson in 1968. In addition to the band’s genre-described catalog, he has contributed to Landmark Records from David Bowie, Brian Eno and Peter Gabriel. In recent years, he reached a new audience through the viral “Sunday Lunch” YouTube series, where the two cover rock classics with a theater twist.