Country star Colt Ford makes promise after heart attack and surgery in hospital

Singer Colt Ford has made a pledge to fans after suffering a heart attack: “This old country boy will get back.”

The 53-year-old was admitted to intensive care at the beginning of April following a performance in Gilbert, Arizona, according to US outlets.

Ford thanked his fans for their love and messages in a video posted on social media, which appeared to show the musician on a hospital bed with a visible post-surgery scar on his chest.

“I’ve got a long way to go, but I promise you this old country boy will get back,” Ford said, after cancelling more than two dozen tour dates across the US. “It probably won’t be this year, and I hate I’ve got to miss all these shows, but I’m coming back. I am coming back.”

Ford also said he was “grateful” to his friends and celebrities who had reached out while he was in hospital, as well as his family and fiancee Megan. “It’s tough on everybody. You don’t realise that until you get into this situation – make sure you take care of yourself, things can sneak up on you. But know that I’m coming back, I’m coming back, I promise you.”

The singer was taken to intensive care at Banner Desert Medical Centre in Mesa, Arizona following his collapse after a performance at Dierks Bentley's Whisky Row in Gilbert on April 4. The 54-year-old was transferred to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, where his condition was said to be stable but critical.

Ford rose to fame in 2008 with album Ride Through The Country, before co-writing and recording track Dirt Road Anthem alongside Brantley Gilbert – which became a Billboard Country Airplay number one hit for Jason Aldean after his rendition. The song was also nominated for a Grammy for best country solo performance in 2012.