Kid Rock Deserves a Moment for How He Treated Colt Ford

Colt Ford was ready to Rock the Country before he suffered a heart attack in April 2024. The singer had signed up for Kid Rock's summer festival series, but had to cancel.

The "All Summer Long" hitmaker made sure Ford's fans were served, and then he did something unthinkable.

Kid Rock paid Colt Ford for all of the shows he missed.

• Year one of the Rock the Country Festival featured Kid Rock and Jason Aldean as headliners, with more than a dozen support acts across 14 dates.
• Colt Ford suffered a heart attack on April 3 in Arizona, two days before the festival series was set to begin.
• He'd make his stage return in September 2024.

Ford appeared on the Outside the Round with Matt Burrill podcast this week. During the 90-minute interview, he spoke about what Kid Rock did for him.

He shared that Kid Rock told him that festival organizers decided not to replace him on the bill, and instead the legendary rap/rock/country star would do a DJ set of Ford's music at each show.

Beyond that, they wanted to make sure Ford wasn't hurting financially.

"Bob paid me anyway," Ford shares (quote via Whiskey Riff).

"That’s the kind of stuff that sometimes needs to get out there. He was like, 'I got you.' Because he knew that was a big deal for me, and it was."

Did Colt Ford Die?

Recent quotes from Ford are clear evidence that he is not dead, but the 54-year-old actually says doctors had to bring him back to life, twice!

When emergency crews found Ford on his bus, he was clinically dead. They took him to a hospital that didn't have the resources he needed, so he was transported to another. During that trip he died a second time, but first responders brought him back again.

A fortunate coincidence is that Brantley Gilbert was there for almost all of it. The two men are best friends, and they happened to be playing different venues in the same area that night.

Once Gilbert heard what had occurred he rushed to Ford's side and led an effort to get him the care he needed.

In 2025, Ford has released new music and kept a fairly aggressive touring schedule. He says he's lost 60 pounds since his heart attack.