Phew. Last month, a note from bandmates indicating that former Felice Brothers drummer/singer and current Duke & The King frontman Simone Felice was about to undergo emergency open heart surgery to remedy a grave illness had me worried. Word spread soon thereafter that he was on the mend, thankfully, and now the man himself has posted a reassuring update on Facebook about his narrow escape from an untimely death. (‘Tis a good week for happy endings.)
“What a wild thing to learn from the doctor,” said Felice, “that for years you’ve been existing off 1/8th of the blood and oxygen your body and brain need, that he’s baffled your still alive, that you would’ve surely died within the next year.” Felice was given a pacemaker, is now writing songs again, and will perform all future scheduled tour dates in support of his forthcoming album, Long Live The Duke & The King. Read his full letter here. Welcome back, Simone!