Sturgill Simpson revealed on Saturday that he tested positive for COVID-19 – but had to fight to get medical treatment.
The country singer-songwriter shared a photo he said was taken on March 13 that shows him laying in a hospital bed with a mask and blood pressure cuff. “My wife took me to our local hospital ER due to chest pains, fever, and pre-stroke blood pressure levels,” he explained in the caption.
Simpson said he pulled the plug on his tour the day before due to the COVID-19 outbreak. He had spent the previous two months performing in Western Europe and on the U.S. east coast.
The 41-year-old said he was denied a COVID-19 test because he did not meet the criteria.
On April 6, Simpson was tested at a drive-thru installation. On Friday, the singer was notified by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that he is positive. He said he has been symptom-free for almost a month.
“All I know is I first felt symptoms a month ago yet Im still positive and contagious and now on quarantine in the dojo until April 19th,” he wrote.
Last week, country-folk singer John Prine died of complications from COVID-19, which also claimed the life of country singer Joe Diffie, singer-songwriter Alan Merrill and former Fountains of Wayne frontman Adam Schlesinger. Marianne Faithfull was hospitalized with symptoms and singers P!nk, Sara Bareilles and Christopher Cross said they recovered from the virus, as did Duran Duran bassist John Taylor.