Darlene Love Suffers a Minor Heart Attack

By JAMES C. MCKINLEY JR.

Darlene Love, the pop vocalist and actress, suffered a minor heart attack before a concert in New Jersey last weekend, but went ahead and performed the show, according to WCBS FM 101.1.

Ms. Love, who is 71, told the radio station she experienced pain her chest and stomach just before going on stage on Saturday at Tim McLoone's in Asbury Park.   She took painkillers and got through the show.

When the symptoms worsened the following day, her husband took her to a hospital, where doctors told her she had suffered a heart attack and treated her. “We caught it before it got bad, and I went in had the procedure done,” Ms. Love told the station, without describing the treatment. “They told me I would be fine in a couple of days.  I can go back to my regular routine.”

Ms. Love, a Los Angeles native, began her career as a lead vocalist in some of Phil Spector's girl groups, like the Blossoms and the Cry stals, recording 1960s pop hits like “He's a Rebel” and “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.”  She later became an actress, being best known for her role in the four “Lethal Weapon” films and for her performance on Broadway in “Hairspray.”