The Status Quo guitarist fell ill overseas where the band had just performed, and is now recovering at his home in Spain.
He remembers: I’d done a show in Turkey and went to bed. The PA lady came back with something for me to eat – and found me on the floor.’
”I did ‘die’ – my heart stopped for about three-and-a-half minutes. They gave me CPR for half an hour to keep my heart going. When I eventually woke a week later I was completely black and blue where they’d been pumping me.”
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Rick has been performing with Francis Rossi for nearly 50 years
Rob Ball via Getty Images
Despite his continued improvement, the cardiac arrest has left him with “mild cognitive impairments” and he is by no means convinced he will ever again perform live with the veteran group. Rick has eight-year-old twins and he says his priority is sticking around now to see them grow up.
“Going back on the road is a long way off. I do not want to die in front of the fans.”
This is not Rick’s first brush with illness. He had a less severe heart attack in 2014, following a throat cancer scare in 2005, and a quadruple heart bypass back in 1997.
His absence from the group will mean his longtime strumming partner Francis Rossi when will be without him when the band marks its landmark 50th anniversary of its first hit.
The band’s manager Simon Roper says no further decisions will be made about Rick’s future until after Christmas.
“Rick’s absolute priorities for the foreseeable future are for his health.
“To this end, Rick may well have performed his last show with Quo, but no final decision will be made until next year.”
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Rick says his priority now is to recover well enough to enjoy time with his young twin sons
Ian West/PA Wire
Meanwhile, both Rick and his fans will be hoping he can get back into music in some form at least. He says:
“If I can’t do it with the band, as a solo artist maybe I can play on ocean liners and corporate gigs.”
Status Quo is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary. In half a century, the band has notched up a record-breaking 65 UK chart hits, sold more than 120million records, created its own beer and spent 415 weeks in the chart. Almost as impressive are the alleged figures surrounding their previous off-stage habits - Francis Rossi was reported to have once spent £1,500 a week on cocaine, while Rick estimates he’s dropped a cool million pounds himself on drugs. Oh, and they opened Live Aid with ‘Rockin’ All Over The World’. If Rick never picks up his guitar again, his place in musical history remains secure.
Tap the first picture below to open our slideshow:
Celebrity Survivors
(01 of22)
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Kylie Minogue moved to Paris for treatment for breast cancer following her diagnosis in 2005. She eventually gave some intensely revealing interviews about this dark period in her life, and said the 5-year anniversary would be a very important moment.
(02 of22)
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Delta Goodrem - was diagnosed at 18 with Hodgkins Lymphoma, an announcement that incited an outpouring of support from her particularly Australian fanbase.
(03 of22)
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Leslie Ash became the unfortunate figurehead of the MRSA bug that plagued various UK hospitals after she caught the superbug. The actress was awarded £5m in damages, and still walks with a stick.
(04 of22)
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In the two decades since Michael J Fox's Parkinson's diagnosis, the popular actor has continued to work on both TV and film, as well as writing two autobiographies and creating a foundation. He has received many awards for his humanitarian work, and says that his illness has in countless ways improved his life.
(05 of22)
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Olivia Newton-John's breast cancer diagnosis and treatment has inspired the Australian singer to work tirelessly on behalf of others, including walking the Chinese wall to raise funds for her new Wellness Centre in a Melbourne hospital.
(06 of22)
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TLC's T-Boz (Tionna Watkins) was diagnosed as a child with sickle cell anaemia, which gave her a reduced life expectancy by doctors she has continued to confound.
(07 of22)
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Christopher Reeve was paralysed following his fall from a horse in 1995. Until his death a decade later, the actor dedicated his efforts to raising funds and advocating for political support to removing the blocks to essential stem cell research for spinal injuries.
(08 of22)
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Anastasia - the American singer discovered she had breast cancer during a standard mammogram ahead of breast reduction surgery in 2003. Following her own treatment, she immediately launched the Anastasia Fund to promote awareness among younger women.
(09 of22)
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Michael C Hall had a mixed year in 2010. He received a Golden Globe for his role in Dexter, which he accepted during his treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The following April, he announced himself once again fit for work.
(10 of22)
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Anthony Andrews - was hospitalised in 2003 for "a salt imbalance". This came about as the unexpected consequence of drinking too much water while performing on stage during a hot weather spell in London.
(11 of22)
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Russell Watson has recently resumed his career after being struck down twice with life-threatening brain tumours. He has recorded his first album since treatment, and credits his surgery with his new, deeper voice.
(12 of22)
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Martin Kemp - former singer and EastEnders star had two brain tumours in the 1990s, and had pioneering treatment for the second. He has been acting since, and returned to the road with his band Spandau Ballet.
(13 of22)
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Sheryl Crow has not had a smooth time of it - going through treatment for breast cancer in 2006, and then this year announcing she has a brain tumour.
(14 of22)
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Michael Douglas received intensive treatment for throat cancer - and the stress of watching her husband's gruelling experience ignited Catherine Zeta Jones' bipolar disorder for which she attended a clinic in America.
(15 of22)
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Mariah Carey's husband Nick Cannon was struck down with liver failure in January this year. Following his recovery, he has made public the lifestyle changes he needs to make to ensure continued health.
(16 of22)
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Sharon Stone - suffered a stroke in 2001, the seriousness of which was played down at the time, but which actually saw bleeding into her brain for nearly a fortnight. The actress only regained feeling in her left leg months later.
(17 of22)
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Madonna broke several bones in 2005 when she fell from a horse, and suffered further bruising falling again in 2009...
(18 of22)
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... as did TV presenter Lorraine Kelly, in a frightening fall in February this year, when she was learning to ride. Her horse stamped on her, and she lost three pints of blood.
(19 of22)
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Cheryl Cole - malaria charities everywhere found their profiles shot up when the Girls Aloud singer caught the illness during a trip to Africa in 2010.
(20 of22)
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... while sister Dannii has had to battle with an underactive thyroid condition.
(21 of22)
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Peter Andre suffered from meningitis during his marriage to Katie Price, the symptoms of which first led him to think he merely had a bad bout of flu...
(22 of22)
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... while Katie Price had a cancer scare in 2002 after having a malignant growth removed from her finger.