Cream drummer Ginger Baker "OK" after undergoing open heart surgery
Madman Cream drummer Ginger Baker has undergone open-heart surgery at the age of 76. Baker is “miraculously recovering very well,” his daughter Leda wrote on his official site. “He called the day after his surgery to say he was OK. Albeit a rather disoriented and unintelligible conversation he was at least awake and aware,” she went on to say.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee underwent the surgery in mid-June, around the same time he also suffered an unspecified bad fall which left him with swollen legs and feet, Rolling Stone reports.
In February, Baker was forced to cancel a tour with his band Air Force after being diagnosed with “serious heart problems.” On his site, Baker wrote, “Just seen doctor … big shock … no more gigs for this old drummer … everything is off … of all things I never thought it would be my heart.”
Leda’s post warned that, “although [Ginger] is recovering, any performances in the near future seem over ambitious.” In 2012, Baker was the subject of the great documentary Beware of Mr. Baker. In 2014, his Cream bandmate Jack Bruce died of liver disease. Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery, Ginger.
