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Earth, Wind & Fire John Paris
Enters Rehab After Long Hospital Stay
Published
John Paris has entered rehabilitation after spending more than two months in a San Francisco hospital following a serious medical emergency … and the band’s twice-postponed concert with Lionel Richie has now been canceled.
According to a GoFundMe, the Earth, Wind & Fire drummer suffered a spinal cord injury and recently left the hospital to begin the next phase of his recovery. His family says he faces a long road toward regaining his independence and returning home.
Paris and his wife, musician Kathy Merrick, are also dealing with significant financial strain … as they did not have medical insurance when the emergency happened. Friends have organized a GoFundMe campaign to help with his medical and living expenses, raising nearly $98K toward a $100K goal.
As TMZ first reported … Paris suffered the medical emergency on August 6, shortly before Earth, Wind & Fire and Lionel Richie were scheduled to perform at San Francisco’s Chase Center. The San Francisco Fire Department told us a fire engine and private ambulance responded to the venue for what was described as a “cardiac incident,” and one person was transported to a hospital in critical condition.
We later reported Paris was placed in an induced coma. He briefly woke up, asked for his wife and joked to a friend, “Get me outta here” … but doctors sedated him again after his blood pressure rose and he struggled to breathe.
Richie had already suffered multiple health scares this year, including an onstage incident in June when he said he felt “dizzy” and “strange” and had to cut his performance short.
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