![\"ALPHARETTA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_308318363-6ef4.jpg\")
\n\t\tJohn Paris was rushed to hospital following a cardiac incident (Picture: Chris McKay\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tJohn Paris was rushed to hospital following a cardiac incident (Picture: Chris McKay\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The family of Earth, Wind & Fire star John Paris has revealed \u2018frightening\u2019 details of his hospitalisation.<\/p>\n
Paris was hospitalised in August after suffering a \u2018cardiac incident\u2019<\/a>, and was put into a medically induced coma.<\/p>\n The band had been due to perform with Lionel Richie<\/a> at San Francisco\u2019s Chase Center when the 58-year-old drummer took a turn, leading to emergency responders taking Paris away from the venue in a critical condition.<\/p>\n Now, his relatives have shared that he suffered a spinal cord injury and has entered a rehabilitation centre.<\/p>\n Having launched a GoFundMe<\/a> to help cover Paris\u2019s medical bills and \u2018road to recovery\u2019, over $100,000 has been raised.<\/p>\n In an update shared on the page, his loved ones, including wife Kathy Merrick, have explained he is entering \u2018phase two\u2019 of his recovery upon reaching a significant milestone. <\/p>\n \t\t \u2018After more than two months in the hospital, we have wonderful news: John has left the hospital and begun the next phase of his recovery in rehabilitation,\u2019 a message began.<\/p>\n \u2018This is a milestone we have prayed for \u2014 but it is not the end of John\u2019s journey. In many ways, a new one is just beginning.\u2019<\/p>\n The comment added that the fundraiser was initially established with the immediate goal of allowing Paris\u2019s wife to remain by his side in San Francisco \u2018while maintaining the living, travel and household expenses that continued while they were away from their home in Los Angeles\u2019.<\/p>\n Thanking donors, the family referred to it as a \u2018frightening chapter\u2019, then addressed something they \u2018did not publicly discuss\u2019 at the start.<\/p>\n \u2018John did not have medical insurance when this medical emergency occurred,\u2019 the statement revealed. \u2018John\u2019s prolonged hospitalisation, spinal cord injury, rehabilitation and continuing medical needs have created a financial situation far beyond what we anticipated when Standing With John began. <\/p>\n \u2018Kathy and John are pursuing every available source of assistance, including Medicare and workers\u2019 compensation, but what ultimately will be covered remains unresolved.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018Meanwhile, John\u2019s care continues.\u2019<\/p>\n They declared that \u2018reaching rehabilitation is a victory\u2019, but Paris still has \u2018a long road ahead\u2019 as he strives to \u2018regain as much independence as possible\u2019 and return home.<\/p>\n Adding that Paris and his wife have endured \u2018the hardest period of their lives\u2019, they requested that fans of his music \u2018stand with them again\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018If you\u2019re able to donate, any amount matters. If you cannot donate, sharing John\u2019s story can be just as important. Help us reach the next person who may be able to help.<\/p>\n \u2018John has spent a lifetime giving us music. Now let\u2019s help John on the long road home.\u2019<\/p>\n In August, the wife of band member Verdine White, Shelly, penned an update on Facebook, informing fans that Paris had spoken to his wife after waking briefly from an induced coma.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018Over the past several days, we have intentionally kept many details of John\u2019s condition private out of respect for him and his family,\u2019 she wrote.<\/p>\n \u2018As information has begun to circulate publicly, we feel it\u2019s important that everyone hears the story directly from us so there is no confusion about where things stand today.\u2019<\/p>\n She explained how Earth, Wind & Fire\u2019s tour manager, Toshi, was there to support Paris when \u2018everything unfolded\u2019, praising her \u2018steady presence, care, and support\u2019 during the critical first moments.<\/p>\n \u2018When John arrived at the hospital, his doctors placed him into an induced coma while they worked to provide the critical care he needed.<\/p>\n \u2018From the very beginning, Kathy and daughter Kyla remained by his side.\u2019<\/p>\n Shelly recalled the moment \u2018no one in the room will ever forget\u2019 when Paris opened his eyes, asking immediately for his doting partner.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018He looked around the room and quietly asked, \u201cWhere\u2019s Kathy?\u201d Once he saw her, you could feel the relief that swept through everyone.\u2019<\/p>\n Paris then looked to a friend and said, \u2018Get me outta here, man!\u2019, assuring them that he still had his \u2018wonderfully wicked sense of humour\u2019.<\/p>\n The moment of consciousness was, however, short-lived, as Paris\u2019s blood pressure began rising and he struggled to breathe, causing doctors to sedate him once more.<\/p>\n A medical team continued monitoring him closely in a bid to determine the\u00a0\u2018safest path forward\u2019.<\/p>\n Paris joined Earth, Wind & Fire as a drummer in 2001. His bandmates include Philip Bailey, Myron McKinley, Oshun Shango Oshunde, Morris O\u2019Connor, Serg Dimitrijevic, B. David Whitworth, and Ralph Johnson, with their music spanning multiple genres \u2013 such as jazz, R&B, soul, funk, and disco \u2013 and selling over 90 million records worldwide.<\/p>\n He has played on several albums, including Illumination (2005), Now, Then & Forever (2013), and Holiday (2014).<\/p>\n The September hitmakers, who rose to fame in the 1970s, are currently on the road, with their cancelled show alongside Richie ultimately rescheduled.<\/p>\n At the time, they announced that there had been a \u2018medical emergency\u2019 and apologised for the \u2018unexpected change\u2019.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_308318427-ec20-e1791567619223.jpg\")
\n\t\tParis is now in a rehabilitation centre following two months in hospital, with his wife by his side (Picture: GoFundMe)<\/p>\n![\"LOS](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_308318377-75d0.jpg\")
\n\t\tEarth, Wind & Fire were due on stage when Paris fell ill (Picture: Stewart Cook\/CBS via Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"UNSPECIFIED](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_294486974-78f1-e1791568394191.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe September hitmakers rose to fame in the 1970s (Picture: Michael Ochs Archives)<\/p>\n![\"ALPHARETTA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_308318366-b6af.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe band\u2019s music spans genres such as jazz, R&B, soul, funk, and disco, and has sold over 90 million records worldwide (Picture: Chris McKay\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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