Quo star Parfitt ‘has heart attack’
STATUS Quo guitarist Rick Parfitt is being treated in hospital in Turkey following a suspected heart attack.
The 67-year-old former drug addict was rushed to casualty following a gig at the Expo 2016 horticultural show in Antalya.
His spokesman said: ‘Whilst his condition is serious, he has already demanded his customary cup of tea with two sugars and a sweetener.’
The veteran rocker has suffered a series of health problems, including a quadruple heart bypass in 1997, a throat cancer scare in 2005 and a heart attack in 2011.
Status Quo were forced to cancel a series of gigs in 2014 after he fell ill during a European tour and had to be flown home from Croatia. Doctors in London then corrected a problem with his previous heart bypass.
Parfitt has pulled out of a performance at the Rock On Windermere charity show on June 18 to raise funds for the Cumbria Flood Appeal.
However, the rest of the band will appear with Freddie Edwards, the son of Quo bassist John ‘Rhino’ Edwards, stepping in for Parfitt.
It is likely that Edwards will stay with the band until Parfitt has recovered, including for a show in Sweden next month.
Simon Porter, the band’s manager, said: ‘No comment will be made until the completion of tests and assessments over the next few days.