Robert Fripp recounts confusion after hospital "shaved my balls" publish heart attack

Robert Fripp has said he is still unsure why hospital staff “shaved [his] balls” after he suffered a heart attack last year.

- READ MORE: Toyah and Robert Fripp talk future of Sunday Lunch at Glastonbury 2023

The King Crimson icon, 80, had a heart attack as he prepared to fly to Italy for one of his Guitar Craft courses. He shared details of the ordeal during an Upbeat Moments video alongside his wife, Toyah Willcox , in May 2025.

As a result of Fripp’s ill health, the pair paused their beloved Sunday Lunch YouTube series . The musician told fans that he was tested and admitted to intensive care before undergoing two bouts of emergency surgery, and was later diagnosed with a trifurcated artery.

He also spoke about an unexpected moment at the hospital, recalling: “I was in A&E, not quite knowing what was going on other than I knew they were going to do something, and an orderly came along and shaved my balls.

“Now, the dear man, I really didn’t wish his job on him at that point. Now this is the thing. So you’re concerned with my heart, fine. What are you doing shaving my balls?”

Now, in a new interview with Uncut , Fripp gave an update on his health and discussed the changes he’d made to his lifestyle. “Today, I look on it as a benevolent redirection of my life,” he said.

“I go to the gym regularly. I’m deadlifting currently, at best, 120 kilograms, bench pressing 75 kilograms, doing squatting with weights, stretching, balancing, yoga.”

Fripp added: “I haven’t been this healthy or present within myself in decades, perhaps ever.”

He then explained that he remained confused about why his scrotum needed to be shaved, remembering: “I was in A&E, they hooked me up to a monitor, and the next step was this dear man turned up and shaved my balls.

“I thought, ‘Well, if this is something to do with my heart, why is he shaving my balls?’”

He said: “The man shaving my balls didn’t tell me [why he did it]. Very few of the staff spoke English, which led to one or two funny moments, like me taking my pants down for inspection by a matronly nurse, who was actually asking what I wanted for lunch.”

Fripp told the publication that he made a quick recovery post-surgery, and returned to his work commitments shortly afterwards: “At midnight they wheeled me off, and I had an emergency operation to insert a stent. There was also a trifurcated artery, so I went back in on Monday for an additional stent, and then on Thursday, I joined the course.”

He previously explained of the project: “It was stunning. The audience were prepped with orchestral manoeuvres, and it really was a magical event for me.”

Fripp and Willcox launched Sunday Lunch as a creative outlet in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdowns , with the series continuing ever since due to its enduring popularity. They have even taken the project on tour , and performed together at Glastonbury .

They’ve covered tracks by the likes of AC/DC , Amyl & The Sniffers , David Bowie , Blink-182 and many more.

The post Robert Fripp still confused about why hospital “shaved my balls” after heart attack appeared first on NME .

_Originally reported by [NME](https://www.nme.com/news/music/robert-fripp-still-confused-about-why-hospital-shaved-my-balls-after-his-heart-attack-3947291?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=robert-fripp-still-confused-about-why-hospital-shaved-my-balls-after-his-heart-attack)._