Guitar legend Joe Perry sat weakly by the drum riser and then staggered off stage and passed out during the second song by The Hollywood Vampires in Brooklyn, New York Sunday, one day after playing at the Seneca Niagara Casino. He was rushed to a a nearby hospital. The 65-year-old may have suffered a heart attack, and was initially treated at Coney Island Hospital. His condition was called “stable.” He was later transferred to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan.
The Aerosmith guitarist was in the middle of a North American tour with his all-star side group, which also includes Alice Cooper and actor Johnny Depp. Tonight’s show at the Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island continued without him. (The band includes two other guitarists: Depp and Tommy Henriksen.) At one point Cooper asked the crowd to wish Perry well. Later, guest star Ian Hunter came on to lead the band through “Sweet Jane,” the Lou Reed song Mott the Hoople recorded, and “All the Young Dudes.”
When Cooper introduced the band at the end of the show, he said “and somewhere on this planet, Joe Perry.”
According to a spokesperson for the band, Perry is resting and the tour will continue.