Sam Smith Spotted in Boston, Undergoes Surgery at Mass General [Updated]
Update, May 19, 2015:
Mass General confirmed on Tuesday morning that Sam Smith did undergo surgery at their institution. Spokesperson Michael Morrison said in a release:
Sam Smith underwent vocal cord microsurgery by Dr. Steven Zeitels to stop recurrent vocal cord hemorrhage (bleeding). This condition is the result of unstable blood vessels in the vocal cord that can rupture and prevent vocal performance. Sam came to Boston to consult and undergo corrective voice surgery with Dr. Zeitels, the Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Voice Center.
Zeitels, also the Eugene B. Casey Professor of Laryngeal Surgery at Harvard Medical School, expects Smith to make a full recovery.
May 13, 2015:
Sam Smith, glorious pop singer and relentless Instagrammer, shared with his loyal followers that he will undergo surgery on his vocal cords this week, putting his tour on hiatus. A sad day for teens and members of posse de Taylor alike.
Though he didn’t share where he’ll have surgery, he was photographed at various Boston locations this week—at the Prudential Center Tuesday and at Boston Common Wednesday (above). And whattayaknow, there happens to be a whole bunch of world-class hospitals that perform vocal cord surgeries right here on our soil. So crazy how this works out so well.
It doesn’t take a brain surgeon—there’s plenty of those here, too—to figure out that Smith’s surgery will be performed right here in the Hub. This, of course, isn’t the first instance in which a high-profile singer has tapped local surgeons for procedures on their vocal cords. Mass General’s Dr. Steven Zeitels, chief of the Center for Laryngeal Surgery, has performed vocal cord surgeries on celebrities including Steven Tyler, Julie Andrews, and Adele.
Hospitals, of course, can’t disclose or confirm any information about patients under federal privacy laws. Boston did reach out, however, to Smith’s label, and they have yet to provide a comment.
Perhaps he and Adele, a fellow British singer, are close enough chaps to compare and contrast surgical choices? Or is that a load of rubbish? I digress.