NEED TO KNOW
- Rocker Dave Edmunds, 81, is in the hospital after experiencing a cardiac arrest, according to his wife, Cici
- Cici wrote on Facebook that her husband “died in my arms” during the incident until a nurse revived him with “heavy CPR”
- He had his breakthrough with the band Love Sculpture in 1968 before releasing a string of hits in the 1970s and 1980s
Rock musician Dave Edmunds has been hospitalized.
The rocker, 81, had a “major” cardiac arrest in late July, according to a Facebook post written by his wife of 40 years, Cici Edmunds.
Cici said that Dave “died in my arms” during the incident until a nurse revived him with “heavy CPR.” She added, “I’m still in shock and I believe I have PTSD from the horrific experience.”
Dave was taken to an intensive care unit, where he was intubated, Cici wrote. She explained that he “clearly has brain damage and severe memory loss,” among other ailments.
“Dave will have a very long journey ahead of him if he survives. We both have. But knowing that there are kind hearted people such as you all makes this tremendously difficult journey a little easier,” Cici continued. “Bless you all. Sending you all much love and light and always.”
There is a risk of the Welsh musician experiencing another cardiac arrest, after which there would be “no chance” for his survival, she said.
Mayo Clinic describes a sudden cardiac arrest as “the sudden loss of all heart activity due to an irregular heart rhythm,” which can cause brain damage and lead to death.
Dave was born April 14, 1944, in Cardiff, Wales, and performed in various bands in his adolescence and young adulthood. He had his breakthrough with the blues rock band Love Sculpture in the 1960s. The band recorded two albums before splitting in 1970.
The musician released his first solo album Rockpile in 1972. The LP contained covers of several songs from the 1950s and 1960s, including Dave Bartholomew’s “I Hear You Knocking” and Bob Dylan’s “Outlaw Blues.”
His Bartholomew cover spent six weeks at No. 1 in the United Kingdom, according to Official Charts.
Dave later formed the band Rockpile with Nick Lowe, Billy Bremner and Terry Williams. The band released the album Seconds of Pleasure in 1980, which included the single “Teacher, Teacher.”
Most recently, he musician released the 2015 instrumental album On Guitar Dave Edmunds: Rags & Classics.
That year, Dave told Ultimate Classic Rock that he was not currently working on new music. “I’m just sitting back at the moment and I’m planning the next year or so,” he said.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Rocker Brian Setzer claimed that Dave, his friend and former producer, retired in 2017.
“[It’s] with [a] bittersweet announcement that my good friend and guitar legend Dave Edmunds is retiring after tomorrow night’s show,” Setzer wrote in a Facebook post.
“I wish him all the love in the world in his retirement,” he added.
Read the full article here
