Earth Wind and Fire drummer John Paris moves to rehab after two months hospitalized

John Paris is out of the hospital and into rehabilitation. The Earth Wind and Fire drummer had been hospitalized in San Francisco for over two months following a frightening medical emergency over the summer.

A long recovery ahead

A GoFundMe set up by friends says Paris suffered a spinal cord injury. He has now begun the next stage of healing. His family says getting back his independence and returning home will take a long time.

Money is a major worry too. Neither Paris nor his wife, the musician Kathy Merrick, had health coverage when he fell ill. The fundraiser for his medical bills and living costs has brought in close to $98,000 of its $100,000 target.

What happened in August

Paris collapsed on August 6, not long before Earth Wind and Fire was due to share the bill with Lionel Richie at Chase Center. Fire officials said crews answered a call described as a "cardiac incident" with one patient rushed off in critical condition.

He was later put into an induced coma. Paris woke up for a short time, asked for his wife and joked with a friend that he wanted out. Doctors sedated him again when his blood pressure climbed and his breathing became labored.

Show canceled

The concert with Richie had already been pushed back twice. It has now been scrapped.

Richie has had his own health problems this year. In June he cut a show short after telling the crowd he felt dizzy and strange.