Colt Ford in ICU After Suffering Heart Attack Following Arizona Performance

The country-rap star experienced a heart attack on April 4 after performing at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row venue in Gilbert, Arizona

Colt Ford performs in Nashville in September 2023.

Colt Ford is currently in the ICU after suffering a heart attack.

The country-rap star experienced a heart attack on Thursday, April 4 after performing at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row venue in Gilbert, Arizona, according to a press release.

Issued in the morning on April 5, the release stated that Ford, 54, is “currently under care in the Intensive Care Unit at the Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona.”

Colt Ford.

Originally from Athens, Georgia, Ford (born Jason Farris Brown) initially earned recognition as a professional golfer on the Nationwide Tour before developing an interest in country and hip-hop music.

The musician released his debut album, Ride Through the Country, in 2008. The project featured collaborations with John Michael Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson and Brantley Gilbert, among others.

Alongside Gilbert, Ford cowrote the song “Dirt Road Anthem” for his debut album. It was later recorded by Jason Aldean in 2010 and released as a single, eventually reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Ford has since earned several country hits where he’s billed as a lead artist: “Back” with Jake Owen, “Drivin’ Round Song” with Aldean and “The High Life” with Chase Rice. Additionally, he’s released collaborations with Walker Hayes, Toby Keith, Charles Kelley of Lady A and Willie Nelson, among others.

In 2021, Ford revealed he’d been diagnosed with eye cancer. “The doctor told me I was a week to 10 days from having to go on full chemo,” he told TH at the time.

Days after having surgery, the star was back on stage. “I had so many friends asking, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?'” he said at the time. “But I just thought everyone was dealing with so much stuff and stress.”

Colt Ford.

“I didn’t want to put that burden on anyone else. But it did feel good to have so many people reach out to me. It reminded me that it’s not always about the music,” added Ford. “They actually care about me — the person.”

Following the diagnosis and operation, Ford said his outlook on life changed. “I thought to myself … all the dumb s— I have done, I could have killed myself multiple times and this is what is going to take me out?” he explained.

“I know darn well that God never puts anything on you that you can’t handle, but the Lord might have a lot more confidence in me than I thought,” said Ford at the time.

After beating the cancer, however, the musician was diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease called myasthenia gravis that affects the face, eyes and throat.

“It hadn’t really affected my throat, but it really affected my eye,” said Ford in a May 2023 interview with Taste of Country. “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.”