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Ronnie McDowell suffered “a mini stroke” on stage when he was rushed to the hospital, the country star’s son shared in a recent Facebook post.
McDowell, 75, ended his performance early because of an apparent medical issue when he took the stage at the Summer Solstice Music Festival in Oley, Pennsylvania. A statement shared to McDowell’s Facebook page on Sunday (June 22) reads: “Please keep Ronnie in your thoughts and prayers. The Family is updating on their personal platforms.” His sons, Tyler Dean McDowell and Ronnie McDowell Jr., have since shared updates on Facebook, including that their father was released from the hospital and headed home on Monday (June 23).
“Dad is in good spirits today. He did suffer a mini stroke the other day on stage here in Pennsylvania. I knew something wasn't right as I had his vocals in my in ear monitor and I could hear him slurring his words and forgetting the words to his songs that he has sang for many years,” McDowell Jr. wrote in an update, in part. “After a few minutes I had Steve to play a solo while I took my Dad off side stage to ask him how he was feeling. He told me that he wasn't ok, and thats not how my strong Dad talks, he said that he thought that he might be having a stroke.”
McDowell Jr. said his father was transported to a nearby hospital, and “doctors told him that he will need surgery in the next few weeks. They do want him to take it easy but they said that he can perform and workout in the next few days. He was so happy about that. …Thank you Jesus for saving my Dad.”