When you’ve carved out the kind of three-decade career Phil Vassar has, it’s easy to take some days for granted.
But after February 4th, 2023, Vassar is adamant he’ll never do it again.
The upcoming three-year anniversary of that date will bring about the anniversary of the day Vassar’s life turned upside-down. At his home, Vassar suffered a major heart attack. His heart stopped twice. It took 11 shocks to get his heart beating again. Ribs were broken during life-saving measures.
Three days later, while in the hospital, Vassar had a stroke.
For about a year and a half, Vassar remained largely silent about his health scare, before opening up to People in August of 2024.
With the three-year anniversary, and National Heart Month, approaching, Vassar is ready to tell all, and to commemorate, he’s releasing “What It Means,” a career-defining, emotional look into his experience.
Vassar says his health issues stemmed from a previously-unknown genetic heart disease.
“I wasn’t on top of it at all, it was on top of me,” says Vassar. “I didn’t know anything. I worked out all the time and did all the stuff you’re supposed to do. When it all went down, I wasn’t feeling well, and I didn’t know why. Come to find out, my arteries were all clogged up. It was genetic, and there’s nothing I could’ve done about it. I couldn’t outrun it.”
The Lynchburg, Virginia native remembers being so fatigued before shows that a member of his band had to practically drag him on stage.
“I was so tired, and I didn’t know why,” says Vassar. “I didn’t know what was keeping me beaten down.”
Things came to a head on February 4th, when his heart stopped for over a half hour, and doctors had to perform drastic, life-saving measures.
“The first time my heart stopped was over 30 minutes,” says Vassar. “On the way to Vanderbilt, in the ambulance, it stopped again. That second time, they shocked my chest 11 times before they got my heart beating again.”
Following a stroke three days later, Vassar admits that he lost much of his memory while in the hospital.
“The doctors played me videos of some of my music, and I didn’t remember any of the songs,” says Vassar. “It was weird to not remember any of the songs.”
Vassar took over a year to heal up before widely commenting on his health. When his People interview was published in August, 2023, an outpouring of love and support followed.
“My family kept everything quiet. They knew that when I was ready to talk about it, I would,” says Vassar. “The response was really sweet. Sometimes, you wonder if people care about you. You hope that, in some way, your music helps or inspires people. Turns out, it did.”
Along with that support, Vassar credits a higher power for getting him through his struggles.
“It was my faith, for sure,” says Vassar. “You’re inside your head a lot. I had to come to terms with why I’m still here, because from what I heard, the odds weren’t good.”
Vassar took his feelings into a writing room with Dean Sams and Marty Dodson, and together, they wrote “What It Means,” a song that chronicles his experience.
“I hadn’t written anything about it. That day was special,” says Vassar. “Marty, Dean and I got together and said, ‘let’s talk about it.’ They asked if I was cool with it, and I said, ‘I think so!’”
Soon after, the trio had a song.
“We wrote it pretty fast,” says Vassar. “We nailed it. Sometimes, you start down a path, and we just stayed focused on it the whole time.”
Though a deeply personal song to him, Vassar hopes listeners can take something from “What It Means” as well.
“Every moment is precious,” says Vassar. “Time is fleeting. You never know.”
Vassar vows not to take any moments for granted moving forward, starting with a 2026 tour that includes a slew of solo dates, as well as shows with multi-time CMA Award-winning band, Old Dominion.
“I’m really thankful to still be able to go out and play. That’s what I’m most excited about. I love the Old Dominion guys. Going out with them is going to be great,” says Vassar. “There’s fans I’m looking forward to seeing that have been around for a long time, and then there’s young kids who weren’t even alive when the songs came out!”
The “Just Another Day in Paradise” singer says he’s entering 2026 feeling rejuvenated in the studio and in writing rooms.
“The cool thing is that now, I can write what I want to write, when I want to write it,” says Vassar. “I don’t have people telling me to write songs about trucks anymore. I can write and record in my studio. I needed to be exercised from that world.”
As he releases “What It Means,” Vassar is looking forward to a new world ahead.
“I’m going to take advantage of this. I love what I do. My passion in life is writing songs and playing music. I’m blessed that I get to keep doing it. I don’t take that for granted anymore,” says Vassar. “It feels so cool to feel alive again. I had to go through hell to get there, but I feel better than I’ve felt in my life.”
*All images by Mark Maryanovich*
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