Sudden cardiac arrest can strike anyone — very often its victims are people in middle age with no previous history of heart problems. Celebrities with access to top-rate preventive care, surrounded by staff and personal assistants are no exception when sudden cardiac arrest strikes.

Michael Jackson’s suspected cardiac arrest at age 50, just as he was about to embark on a series of performances in London, reminded us of other celebrities stricken by sudden cardiac arrest.

ABC news host Tim Russert died of sudden cardiac arrest.

Just a year ago, Tim Russert, host of NBC’s “Meet the Press” died of sudden cardiac arrest. Resuscitation on the 58-year-old journalist began immediately, and when paramedics arrived they made three unsuccessful attempts to restart his heart using a automated external defibrillator (AED). However, survival chances decrease by 10 percent with every minute the passes after cardiac arrest, and, according to reports, no defibrillator was used at the NBC studio where Tim Russert collapsed before emergency medical responders arrived.

Clash frontman Joe Strummer died from cardiac arrest

Joe Strummer‘s cardiac arrest came in 2002 after the 50-year-old musician had just returned from walking the family dog.  The vocalist and guitarist for the punk rock band The Clash and for late-1990s band The Mescaleros, collapsed and died of sudden cardiac arrest at his home in Somerset, England. His wife found him and called police, who pronounced him dead. It was later determined that Strummer had an undiagnosed congenital heart condition.

Actor Irwin Blumenthal was rescued using an AED.

In 2000, actor Irwin Blumenthal suffered cardiac arrest on the set of television’s “Ally McBeal;” he had a small role on the popular sitcom. Fortunately, he was surrounded by cast members when he collapsed. The nurse on the set remembered that the studio had an AED — one on loan by a manufacturer’s salesperson — and used it administer two shocks that restarted Blumenthal’s heart. By the time emergency services arrived, Blumenthal was breathing unassisted. (The American Heart Association reported that the medical office for the TV studio went on to purchase four AEDs.)

Emmy Award-winner Tracey Conway is a sudden cardiac arrest survivor.

Actress Tracey Conway was 38 when she collapsed onstage during a taping of KING-TV’s “Almost Live” in Seattle. The Emmy-Award-winning actress had just finished spoofing the TV show “ER.” Fortunately paramedics were able to revive Conway, making six attempts to restart her heartbeat with an AED. Today Conway uses her comedic talents as a public speaker on health issues, with presentations including “Drop Dead Gorgeous! A Heart Disease Survivor Story.”

Automated external defibrillators are so inexpensive and portable these days. Why wouldn’t you get an AED to protect your loved ones, colleagues, students, and maybe yourselves?

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