Robert Fripp has undergone two bouts of heart surgery after he unwittingly suffered a heart attack in early April while traveling to Italy.
Robert Fripp has undergone two bouts of heart surgery after he unwittingly suffered a heart attack in early April while traveling to Italy.
Fripp initially believed his symptoms were related to acid reflux. “I’d been suffering what I considered to be acid reflux for a couple of weeks,” he explained in a YouTube video posted with his wife Toyah Willcox, on May 11. “On the Saturday morning I flew, it felt a little bit more.”
Fripp was due to perform at an Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists event at Castione della Presolana in Bergamo. But after landing in Bergamo on April 6, Fripp was taken directly to a cardiac hospital, where doctors discovered dangerously elevated troponin levels, a protein that indicates damage to the heart.
“I was in A+E not quite knowing what was going on other than I knew they were going to do something, and an orderly came along and shaved my balls,” he continued. Fripp went on to say that he was diagnosed with a trifurcated artery and had a pair of stents inserted during two operations. He is on medication for the rest of his life.
Fripp also said that, less than a week after his surgery, he was able to direct the Guitar Circle show at Castione della Presolana.
“It was stunning. The audience were prepped with orchestral manoeuvres and it really was a magical event for me,” Fripp added.
