Patti Smith discharged from Italian hospital following health scare
Patti Smith has been discharged from an Italian hospital after being forced to cancel a show in Bologna after falling ill.
Since late November, Smith has embarked upon an eight-date Italian tour, which began in Ancona. However, for health reasons, Smith cancelled her scheduled performance at the Duse Theatre in Bologna on December 12th. Her last show took place on December 9th at Modena Cathedral.
While in Bologna, ahead of the planned concert, Smith suddenly became ill and was taken to Maggiore Hospital. Thankfully, the punk poet was discharged on December 13th, and the Local Health Authority of Bologna told the Los Angeles Times that she was released after “a short period of observation in an emergency”.
The statement continued: “Patti Smith is discharged and in good health conditions.” The publication also confirmed they have seen images of Smith smiling with hospital staff. The specifics of her illness haven’t remain undisclosed.
Smith’s illness was announced by the Duse Theatre, who wrote in a statement: “With great regret, we inform the kind audience that Patti Smith’s concert will not be able to go on stage due to a sudden illness that struck the artist.”
Their message concluded: “We are all sorry for the inconvenience caused by this news. Our best wishes for a speedy recovery go to the artist.”
Smith was also set to perform in Venice on December 14th and Milan on December 15th, but the shows have now been cancelled. There is currently no information on whether they will be rescheduled at a later date.
The musician has since taken to Instagram to update fans on her wellbeing and shared an image of her with hospital staff. Smith captioned the post: “This is thanking all at the hospital for their help and guidance. I am so sorry that we had to cancel concerts in Bologna and Venice. I will return to fulfill my happy obligations. This is also to thank all the medical teams globally, who attend to the people’s needs, especially those altruistically serving under fire, all healers, physicians, nurses, attendants.”
She concluded: “Also I want to thank everyone for sending messages of love and concern. I am resting, as the doctor ordered, grateful to have had such care, though being painfully aware that many are not so fortunate.”
In an interview with The Guardian in 2022, Smith spoke of her plans to continue moving forward despite being in her autumnal years: “I just keep doing my work, try to take care of myself. I feel blessed to have the imagination I have but don’t think it makes me more important than anyone. I am who I am, with all my flaws – and I’m grateful.”
Later this month, Smith is set to play shows in Chicago and New York. She also recently announced details of two shows in Dublin at Vicar Street next June.
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