Taylor Swift’s father, Scott, is recovering after undergoing heart surgery last month, People reports.
Scott Swift, 73, underwent quintuple bypass surgery, which his doctor ordered after noticing something during a recent check-up. No specific details were given, though the procedure was not precipitated by a heart attack. Swift, her brother Austin, and Scott’s wife of 37 years, Andrea, have been supporting Scott throughout his recovery. A rep for Swift did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.
Swift’s parents have had health issues in the past, with the singer revealing in a 2019 essay for Elle that both Andrea and Scott have had cancer. Andrea was first diagnosed in 2015, and in that 2019 piece, Swift noted that her mom was “now fighting her battle with it again.” She did not specify what type of cancer her parents had.
“I’ve had to learn how to handle serious illness in my family,” Swift wrote, adding: “It’s taught me that there are real problems and then there’s everything else. My mom’s cancer is a real problem. I used to be so anxious about daily ups and downs. I give all of my worry, stress, and prayers to real problems now.”
Swift also wrote about this experience on her Lover track, “Soon You’ll Get Better,” which features backing vocals from the Chicks (her mom’s favorite band). The song opens with the lines, “In doctor’s office lighting, I didn’t tell you I was scared/That was the first time we were there/Holy orange bottles, each night, I pray to you/Desperate people find faith, so now I pray to Jesus too/And I say to you/Soon, you’ll get better.”
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In a 2019 interview, Swift said “Soon You’ll Get Better” was one of the most challenging songs she’s ever written. “That’s a song I don’t know if I’ll ever play it live,” she said. “It’s just really difficult for me. It was hard to write. It’s hard to sing. It’s hard to listen to for me. But sometimes, music is like that. Sometimes it’s not just about stuff that was pleasant to feel.”
Swift has only played the song live once, at the 2020 Global Citizen One World: Together at Home Special for Covid-19 relief.
