Santana undergoes heart surgery, cancels Las Vegas shows

Carlos Santana of Santana performing at the BottleRock Napa Valley Music Festival in Napa, California. Image: AP/Amy Harris

Esteemed guitarist Carlos Santana has been forced to cancel a series of shows in Las Vegas to give himself time to recover from an “unscheduled heart procedure.”

“I’m [going to] be taking time off a little bit to make sure I replenish and I rest and I catch up with my health so that when I play for you, I play the way I’m used to and give you a 150 percent. You know, I wouldn’t show up unless I can do that,” the Grammy-winning musician said via his Twitter page last Thursday, Dec. 2.

“We look forward to returning to perform at the House of Blues in January 2022,” he added.

The musician experienced discomfort in his chest on Nov. 27 and was brought to the hospital by his wife and fellow bandmate, Cindy Blackman, as recalled by Santana in the accompanying video he shared on his Twitter page, also last Thursday. He said the doctors found something “happening” in his chest.

“Last Saturday, I had an incident where I asked my wife Cindy to take me to the hospital, [because] I had this thing happening in my chest. So, when we went there, we found out that I need to take care of it. So I am,” Santana stated.

Santana has canceled all December 2021 at the House of Blues Las Vegas as he recovers from an unscheduled heart procedure. We look forward to returning to perform at the House Of Blues in January 2022. pic.twitter.com/8cHcVDjFhv

— Carlos Santana (@SantanaCarlos) December 2, 2021

He thanked his fans for their “oneness and caring” and wished them “good health, peace of mind and joy.” He then turned contemplative, saying, “don’t be afraid / of your mortality / we are light spirit soul immutable indestructible.”

don’t be afraid
of your mortality
we are light spirit soul immutable indestructible

— Carlos Santana (@SantanaCarlos) December 2, 2021

Other than performing live, Carlos Santana’s band, Santana, has also been active in recording new music. Last October, they released their twenty-sixth studio album “Blessings and Miracles.” It featured collaborations with a variety of artists, from former Fifth Harmony member Ally Brooke to Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett. JB

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