Country-rap artist Colt Ford 'steadily improving' in ICU after post-concert heart attack

Oliver Gettell
·2 min read
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The "Dirt Road Anthem" singer remains hospitalized but is moving "in a positive direction," a spokesperson says.

<p>Terry Wyatt/Getty</p> Colt Ford

Terry Wyatt/Getty

Colt Ford

Colt Ford, the country singer and rapper known for co-writing and first performing the hit song "Dirt Road Anthem," is still in the intensive care unit but moving "in a positive direction" after being hospitalized for a post-concert heart attack Thursday in Gilbert, Ariz.

Ford's medical emergency occurred following a performance at Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row, and a spokesperson said in a statement Monday that the artist, 54, "remains in the ICU" at Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, "with his condition steadily improving in a positive direction. At this time, his family is requesting privacy and appreciates your continued thoughts and prayers."

Hailing from Athens, Ga., Ford is multiplatinum singer-songwriter with several No. 1 hits to his name. "Dirt Road Anthem," which he originally wrote and recorded with Brantley Gilbert, was notably covered by Jason Aldean for his 2010 album My Kinda Party and nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance. Ford's own albums include Ride Through the Country, Declaration of Independence, and Must Be the Country.

Ford has dealt with health issues before, including eye cancer and myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease. Speaking to Taste of Country about his MG diagnosis in May, he said, "It's been tough. The last year quite honestly got really hard for me. It's a disease and there's no cure for this."

He added that the disease "affects the muscles in your face, your eyes, and your throat. It hadn't really affected my throat, but it really affected my eye. I had no control over my right eye. It really messes with your vision. I could see perfectly out of either eye, but then I would look together and I'd see three of you and you would be melting together like a lava lamp."

But the former golf pro also said he'd been fighting through the dark moments. "I had a lot of folks that love me and that supported me and pushed me to get through it," he said. "I feel like I'm on the other side. I've gotten out of that hole now, and I ain't going back down in it."

According to his website, Ford had numerous tour dates scheduled for the weeks ahead, including a Friday show in Primm, Nev., and a Saturday slot at the Wake the Lake Country Festival in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

[This article has been updated with news of Ford's condition.]

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.