Medical emergency postpones Earth, Wind & Fire concert
A band member suffered an emergency in San Francisco Aug. 6, prompting a Lionel Ritchie and Earth, Wind & Fire concert to be postponed.
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Earth, Wind & Fire drummer John Paris is on the slow road to recovery.
Paris, 58, has woken up from a second induced coma, nearly a week after the musician was first put under sedation following a “medical emergency” that abruptly canceled the legendary band’s performance on tour with Lionel Richie.
Paris “briefly awakened before needing to be sedated again” but has since “woken up again,” according to an Aug. 20 post on the Facebook page Standing for John Paris, which has been providing regular updates from bandmember Verdine White and his wife, Shelly Clark White, and longtime friend Tazz Cole.
They said Paris has been making “encouraging progress.”
“There have been both encouraging moments and new challenges. As we’ve said from the beginning, recovery isn’t a straight line, and John’s journey continues to remind us of that every day,” the post read. “John’s blood pressure remained stable and his breathing stayed strong, allowing doctors to continue evaluating his condition.”
However, Paris will need “two major surgeries” and remain in intensive care, making his hospitalization “longer than everyone had hoped.”
The update also included a statement from Paris’ wife, Kathy Merrick.
“This journey is definitely a marathon, but JP is fighting every single day and our hope is strong,” she said. “Please keep the prayers, love, and light coming for John, Kathy, Kyla, and the entire family.”
Clark White launched a GoFundMe page for Paris and his wife days after his hospitalization in early August, given “the growing burden of travel, lodging, meals, countless unexpected expenses, and the unforeseen challenges that lie ahead.”
The fundraiser has received over $82,000 of its $90,000 goal.
Per the Aug. 20 update, loved ones are optimistic about his lengthy recovery.
The post added, “John has already overcome obstacles that once seemed impossible, and while there is still a long road ahead, each step forward gives everyone around him renewed hope.”