Patti Smith Discharged from Italian Hospital After ‘Sudden Illness’

Patti Smith has been fired after being hospitalized for a “sudden illness” in Italy.

Speaking to PEOPLE, hospital press officer Ilaria Maria Di Battista revealed that the head of the emergency department, Dr. Alessio Bertini, told her that “Mrs. Smith was very kind and cooperative with us which made it easy for us to do the job to the best of our ability.”

“She is such a reference person for us and for so many generations. We even had a chance to talk about music and our favorite songs,” Battista said of the unit manager’s comments about his interaction with Smith.

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Patti Smith performs at the UNESCO World Heritage Cathedral of Modena in Modena, Italy on December 9, 2023.

ELISABETTA BARACCHI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

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Another hospital source noted: “Before leaving, she hugged and thanked the medical staff for their help, and one team member even made her laugh when he told her to remember to invite them to her next Italian concert.”

Battista also said that “after a necessary period of rest” Smith, 76, should be able to perform again. This comes after the cancellation of the singer’s concert in Bologna, as well as her performance in Venice and book signing in Milan.

Teatro Duse announced the cancellation of Smith’s performance, which was scheduled for Tuesday.

“It is with great regret that we inform the kind audience that it is [Patti Smith] the concert scheduled for today, December 12, 2023 at 9 p.m., will not be able to go on stage due to a sudden illness that struck the artist,” they wrote on Instagram.

Patti Smith at the Local club in New York in 1975.

Richard E. Aaron/Redferns

Patti Smith hospitalized in Italy: report

The theater then added: “We are all sorry for the inconvenience this news has caused. Our best wishes for a speedy recovery go out to the artist.”

Smith traveled to Italy to do her eight-day “A Tour of Italian Days” tour, but fell ill shortly after arriving in Bologna. At around 6pm local time on Tuesday night, staff at the Grand Hotel Majestic say they were notified of a “person who is not feeling well”. A doctor was immediately called to conduct a brief general consultation with Smith and the decision was made to transport the star in a chauffeured car to a local hospital.

Prior to his hospitalization, Smith’s Italian tour dates included Ancona on November 28, as well as Bari, Naples and Modena. She was also scheduled to perform in the US, starting in Chicago on December 23rd and December 29th and 30th in Brooklyn, New York.

Meanwhile, Smith used her Instagram account to post updates about her tour in Italy. “This is my son Jackson with my suitcase,” she wrote as she shared a photo of her son at a train station in Milan. “I move at my own pace as we go from place to place aware of each other.”

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Source: HIS Education