One Tough Lady: Darlene Love Has a Heart Attack and Still Gets on Stage

Call it an act of God or something equally amazing, but singer Darlene Love is one tough lady all the way around.  The singer is not only in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and one of the greatest background singers of all time, she is also the woman who had a heart attack and still got on stage to perform.

The singer had a mild heart attack this week right before a performance in Asbury Park, NJ.  She is 71-years old, and at that age, almost anything can happen at any time.    Love’s agent, Eric Stevens, said that after showing symptoms of a serious problem, Darlene was taken to the hospital.  That is when doctors told her that she’d had a heart attack earlier in the day.

Doctors “expect a hundred and ten percent recovery as early as next week” for the singer.  She is so determined that she got right back with it, stating that her concerts will all go on as previously scheduled.   Unbelievably, she’d performed even after the heart attack took place.  Love thought that her symptoms were simply acid reflux, which is a common reaction for many people who suffer mild heart attacks and don’t know it.

Love once sang in several hits produced by the legendary Phil Spector during the 1960s.  She has also performed on Broadway and in several films.  Her most famous films included her role as the wife of Danny Glover’s character in the Lethal Weapon series.

She seems to be planning to go out with a bang, but certainly isn’t planning on quitting anytime soon.  God bless her.