Country Singer Ronnie McDowell Released From Hospital After Mini Stroke During Performance

The 75-year-old musician had a medical emergency at the Summer Solstice Music Festival on June 21.

Sylvia and Ronnie McDowell attend the 2nd Annual Legendary Lunch presented by Webster Public Relations and CMA at The Palm Restaurant in Nashville, Tenn., on Feb. 8, 2016. Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Webster Public Relations

Ronnie McDowell, a country singer known for his 1980s hits, including “Older Women” and “You’re Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation,” has been released from the hospital after suffering a mini stroke during a concert this past weekend.

McDowell, 75, experienced the medical emergency while performing at the Summer Solstice Music Festival in Oley, Pennsylvania, on June 21.

According to his eldest son, Ronnie Dean McDowell Jr., the singer began slurring his words and forgetting the lyrics to his songs during his performance.

“He did suffer a mini stroke the other day on stage,” McDowell Jr., 46, wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.

His son said he “knew something wasn’t right” when he heard his father’s vocals in his in-ear monitor.

“I took my Dad off [the] stage to ask him how he was feeling. He told me that he wasn’t ok, and that’s not how my strong Dad talks, he said that he thought that he might be having a stroke,” McDowell Jr. wrote.

After being seen by an emergency medical technician—who agreed that McDowell was suffering a stroke—the singer was rushed by ambulance to a hospital in the nearby city of Reading.

“I will say this, that every single person at the hospital was so incredibly nice and helpful,” McDowell Jr. said, noting that his father will have to undergo surgery in the next few weeks.

“We are all heading home now,” he added. “I’m so thankful to all of the fans from all over the world ... You all have been absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to see all of you and thank you in person.... Thank you Jesus for saving my Dad.”

The Mayo Clinic reports that a mini-stroke, also known as a transient ischemic attack, temporarily blocks blood flow to part of the brain, spine, or the retina of the eyes. This can cause a person to experience brief, stroke-like symptoms, including numbness or muscle weakness, trouble speaking and seeing, dizziness, and loss of balance, which typically only last a few minutes.

McDowell, a Vietnam veteran from Tennessee, rose to fame in 1977 with the release of “The King Is Gone.” The song—the title track on his debut studio album—was a tribute to Elvis Presley, who died earlier that year.

McDowell’s most recent album, “Thing About Texas,” debuted earlier this month. It features a variety of other artists, including country singers Moe Bandy, Crystal Gayle, and the late Johnny Rodriguez, who died on May 9 at the age of 73.