Country singer Ronnie McDowell was rushed to a hospital on Saturday (June 21) after the singer suffered from an undisclosed medical incident while performing Summer Solstice Music Festival in Oley, Penn.
Nashville ABC affiliate WKRN reported that three or four songs into his set at the festival, McDowell began to slur his words together, prompting his tour manager to stop the performance and check on his client. McDowell reportedly told his manager that he thought he had suffered a stroke, at which point the singer was brought to a nearby hospital to undergo further tests.
Billboard has reached out to McDowell’s representatives for additional information.
In a post to his own Facebook page, Ronnie’s son Tyler Dean McDowell offered an update on his father’s health, asking that fans give the family time to figure out what’s going on. “I know you’re all concerned. I promise—no one is more worried than I am,” he wrote in his post. “Please understand, this is an incredibly stressful time, and right now, my focus is on my Dad. If there’s anything that needs to be shared, I promise—we will.”
In a series of further updates, Tyler revealed that the hospital had run and MRI on his dad and that he and his brother, Ronnie Dean McDowell Jr., spent the day with their dad in the hospital before discharging him and taking him back to their home. “Me and/or Ronnie Dean, will give an update soon,” he wrote in a post Monday.
Throughout his nearly 50 years in the music industry, McDowell became known for his early singles including “The King Is Gone,” “Wandering Eyes” and “Older Women.”
