View gallery
Carlos Santana, 74, suddenly collapsed onstage at a concert on Tuesday night, July 5. The “Somewhere in Heaven” musician was performing a set at the Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkson, Michigan, and according to WDIV-TV, medical workers appeared onstage around 10:00 PM local time. Per a Tweet by Fox 2 Detroit reporter Roop Raj, the audience was “asked to pray for him because of a ‘serious medical’ issue.”
The guitarist was reportedly about 20 minutes into his set when he passed out but was treated promptly and wheeled offstage while waving to his fans. He was performing a song he wrote with country superstar Chris Stapleton when he passed out. Per Variety, Carlos was covered by a black tarp as he was taken care of by medical personnel before being transported to a local emergency department at McLaren Clarkston. According to his manager Michael Vrionis in a press statement, he is “doing well” while being observed at the hospital.
His performance Tuesday evening was part of his summer Miraculous Supernatural 2022 tour with Earth, Wind & Fire. The tour began earlier in June and is set to continue all the way through August, after which he reportedly has plans to continue a residency at iconic Las Vegas venue the House of Blues. His rock/Latin style rose to prominence during the ’60s and ’70s with classic, groundbreaking hits including “Black Magic Woman” and “Evil Ways,” among others.
Carlos, considered a master of his art, is the winner of no fewer than 10 Grammy Awards, as well as three Latin Grammy Awards. His career has spanned decades, peaking with a nine-Grammy haul in 1999 for Supernatural. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just a year earlier, in 1998.
Back in 2019, rapper Felly spoke with HollywoodLife about Carlos’ guest appearance on his single “Heartstrings.” “It felt very fresh, and this is coming from someone who’s 72 and has done this so many times, so it was cool to have no hint of mundanity or lack,” he said of working with the guitar icon. “It was just fully fresh. He was more alive than some of my friends I was with. It was really cool to see.”