Former Statler Brother Jimmy Fortune on the mend after quintuple bypass surgery
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In late January Jimmy Fortune was part of big collection of music artists on the ninth annual Country Music Party At Sea Cruise. The ship sailed from Ft. Lauderdale to St. Maarten and San Juan.
Fortune was recently a guest on 1980s country music star T.G. Sheppard's radio show on SiriusXM’s Prime Country. Sheppard also took part in the cruise, which featured more than 100 live performances.
"That is one of the most fun cruises anyone could ever go on," Fortune told Sheppard. "I think we worked pretty hard on that cruise. We did about nine shows, we did a lot of stuff, but I didn't mind it at all."
While on the cruise, Fortune noticed something didn't feel quite right. The former tenor for the Statler Brothers was walking with country music legend Moe Bandy when the two started to climb some stairs. Fortune got part of the way up when he began feeling tightness in his chest.
"It took me awhile to get my breath back," said Fortune, who told his wife Nina about the incident that also included a stinging feeling in his chest. He tried to convince himself it wasn't anything more than old age, but something kept telling him it was more than that.
He was right. Fortune, who is originally from Nelson County, had quintuple bypass surgery on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Joining Sheppard on the radio show, Fortune shared more about the scary incident and his recovery that forced him to postpone some shows.
"If you're out there and you're getting those signals, please get yourself checked out because it could save your life," Fortune said. "It did me."
Soon after the cruise ended, Fortune was performing at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry when he felt dizzy. He told Nina again and his wife called the doctor and got him an appointment with his cardiologist.
The doctor did a cardiac catheterization to diagnose what was happening. Fortune told Sheppard he thought he might need a stent, but figured he'd be home within a day. He was groggy after the procedure when he heard the doctor tell someone to get Nina because he needed to talk with her.
"I had five major blockages," Fortune told Sheppard. "One was 99% and the others were 90%."
Fortune was immediately taken to Centennial Medical Center in Nashville for surgery.
"I remember saying, 'Doc, can I go home and think about this,'" Fortune said on the radio show. "And he said, 'No. You don't have time to think about it.'"
Sheppard told Fortune, "You were a ticking time bomb."
Overwhelmed by everything that was happening at that moment, Fortune said his wife started calling family members to tell them what was going on and word spread quickly. Before her husband was put in the rescue squad, Nina Fortune told him he wouldn't believe how many people were posting about keeping him in their prayers.
"When she said that a peace came over me like I cannot understand," Fortune said.
Fortune thanked the staff at Centennial for the work they did to save him.
"The absolute best," he said.
Fortune knew what he was about to go through was serious, but he said his faith in God and his confidence in the doctor and medical staff helped keep him calm. The doctor told Fortune that it's a miracle that he didn't have a heart attack.
It's been more than a month since the surgery and Fortune told Sheppard that he recently received an all clear from his doctor following follow-up tests.
"He said everything looks perfect," Fortune said. "The chest X-rays look great, the heart X-rays look great."
Fortune will resume touring in April with dates listed on his website. He is scheduled to be at Nelson County High School April 30.
The T.G. Sheppard Show featuring Fortune originally aired Friday, March 24. It is scheduled to air again Wednesday, March 29 at 12 noon for those who want to listen to the full interview which includes Fortune talking about how he became a member of The Statler Brothers. It airs on SiriusXM’s Prime Country, Channel 58.
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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Former Statler Brother Jimmy Fortune on the mend after quintuple bypass surgery
