Earth, Wind & Fire drummer John Paris is in an induced coma after a health emergency

John Paris, the longtime drummer for Earth, Wind & Fire, has been placed in an induced coma after a "critical medical emergency," NME reported on August 15. The 58-year-old was rushed to the hospital on August 6, shortly before the band was due to perform with Lionel Richie at the Chase Center in San Francisco, and that show was postponed just minutes before it was set to start.

Paris joined Earth, Wind & Fire in 2001, playing on the group's later-era albums including The Promise, Illumination, Now, Then & Forever and Holiday, and previously worked with Patti LaBelle, Bruce Hornsby and Kelly Clarkson before that, according to HotNewHipHop.

Paris' family said in a Facebook statement that his wife Kathy and daughter Kyla have stayed by his side, and that he briefly regained consciousness and recognized them before doctors sedated him again when he had trouble breathing. A GoFundMe campaign for the family has raised nearly $70,000 toward a $75,000 goal.

Earth, Wind & Fire resumed touring two days after the postponed show, with former member Sonny Emory filling in on drums, and the rescheduled San Francisco date is now set for September 26. Paris' condition beyond the induced coma has not been made public.

The delay comes in an active year for the band: a documentary about the group, Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That's the Weight of the World), premiered in June, and Sabrina Carpenter brought the band out during her headline set at Lollapalooza last year, NME noted.