Robert Fripp pauses Sunday Lunch series with Toyah Wilcox after suffering a heart attack

Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox have paused their Sunday Lunch series after the former suffered a heart attack.

The pair shared this week’s regular Upbeat Moments video yesterday (May 11) which saw the duo sharing what happened to Fripp as he prepared to fly to Italy to perform at an Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists event at Castione della Presolana in Bergamo.

Suffering from chest pains he thought was acid reflux, the King Crimson man flew to Italy and arranged for a doctor to be available when he got there but was instead taken to hospital in Bergamo, where he was tested and admitted to intensive care before undergoing two bouts of emergency surgery.

Despite the seriousness of the incident, throughout the video Fripp remained upbeat and joked: “I was in A&E not quite knowing what was going on other than I knew they were going to do something, and an orderly came along and shaved my balls.

“Now the dear man, I really didn’t wish his job on him at that point. Now this is the thing. So you’re concerned with my heart, fine. What are you doing shaving my balls?”

Fripp went on to say that he was diagnosed with a trifurcated artery, and had a pair of stents inserted during the two operations.

The pair ended the clip by saying that Fripp will be taking it easy for six to eight weeks, but that their Sunday Lunch series will continue. Fripp also said that, less than a week after his surgery, he was able to direct the Guitar Circle show at Castione della Presolana.

“It was stunning. The audience were prepped with orchestral manoeuvres and it really was a magical event for me,” Fripp added.

One of their most recent covers on Sunday Lunch was Amyl & The Sniffers‘ ‘You Should Not Be Doing That’.

The series first began as a creative outlet in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 lockdowns but has continued ever since then due to its enduring popularity.

Throughout the series so far, they’ve tackled some of rock music’s most iconic hits, including Iggy & the Stooges’ ‘Search & Destroy’,  Alice Cooper’s ‘Poison’, INXS’ ‘Devil Inside’ and Blink-182‘s ‘Dammit’. Over Halloween, the duo took on David Bowie’s ‘Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)’ – which Fripp originally played lead guitar on.

The success of Sunday Lunch has also seen them take the project on the road in a series of live performances, including their Christmas Party 2024 tour, and a set at Glastonbury 2023.

In an interview with NME at ahead of their slot at Worthy Farm, Wilcox spoke on the series’ enduring popularity and future at the time: “At the moment our social media numbers are growing. So as long as those audiences are there and that kind of pull is there, we’ll keep going. But I will not watch him do anything that makes his health suffer. At the moment though, he is utterly remarkable, his playing is remarkable.”

Elsewhere, Willcox, is set to support The Human League on July 5 for their huge outdoor show in Llangollen. Tickets are on sale now and you can find yours here.

The post Robert Fripp pauses Sunday Lunch series with Toyah Wilcox after suffering a heart attack appeared first on NME.