Bo Diddley suffers heart attack

updated 2:57 p.m. ET Aug. 28, 2007

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Bo Diddley was in stable condition at a Gainesville hospital after suffering a heart attack, his publicist said Tuesday.

The 78-year-old singer-guitarist complained of dizziness and nausea during a routine medical checkup Friday, said his publicist, Susan Clary.

She said Diddley was taken to North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville where a stent was implanted to improve the blood flow to his heart. The hospital is near the musician’s north central Florida hometown of Archer.

Clary said the musician was in stable condition at the hospital’s cardiac care unit after spending the weekend in intensive care. A hospital spokesman referred all questions to Clary.

“He is conscious,” Clary said. “The situation is very serious.”

In May, Diddley was hospitalized in Nebraska after suffering a stroke after casino performances in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He was soon transferred to Florida.

Diddley, with his black glasses and low-slung guitar, has been an icon in the music industry since he topped the R&B charts with “Bo Diddley” in 1955. His other hits include “Who Do You Love,” “Before You Accuse Me,” “Mona” and “I’m a Man.”

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and received a lifetime achievement Grammy Award in 1998.

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