Phil Vassar said that he "dropped dead."
Videos by Wide Open Country
He had a medical emergency occurred in 2023 during his Christmas tour with Deana Carter. He suffered from both a heart attack and a stroke within three days.
We reported last year that he was "dead for 30 minutes a couple of times. No heartbeat. No heartbeat at all."
"I wish I could tell you more about it, but I don't know," he explained. "I just remember I wasn't feeling well and... just something wasn't right."
Thankfully, Vassar survived the ordeal. He went back on the road last year. Then, on Friday, he shared a new song reportedly inspired by the incident. We have the details below.
What Caused Phil Vassar's Heart Attack?
Vassar said he worked out and took great care of himself before his heart attack. Doctors shared that his genetics had gotten the best of him. However, he didn't stay down for long thanks to the first responders who came on the scene.
"The lifesaving crew, these guys... what they do is just amazing," Vassar said. "They could have given up... but they just kept going. They blasted me back to life."
It took over a year for the "Six-Pack Summer" singer to fully recover. He even had to relearn how to play the piano.
"It was definitely slow... learning how to walk again and getting back... on the treadmill," he said. "They brought a piano in my room at rehab, and I just sat and looked at it for a while... they said, I just started playing... it kind of came back, and I was very, very, glad to have that happen."
Vassar Says He's Thankful
Today, Vassar shared a clip on Instagram featuring his new song, "What It Means". It showed him playing piano, having fun with his dog, and gardening.
"Everybody wants to know what it's like on the other side," he sings in the lyrics. "Everybody wants to know how it feels to come back to life."
Listening to the song, you feel that Vassar's perspective on life has changed dramatically.
He wrote in the post's caption, "This song means a lot to me, and I'm thankful every day to still be here doing what I love."
You can check out the video for "What It Means" below.
