Jimmy Barnes Duets With Daughter, Gives Back To The Hospital That Saved Him

Hot off of his stint at Byron Bay’s Bluesfest and ready to spring into a New Zealand tour in July, Australia’s best howler, Jimmy Barnes, made some more noise earlier this month, this time to give back to St Vincent’s Curran Foundation - the same hospital that saved his life last December.

Barnes reposted a clip of him and his daughter Mahalia covering The First Cut Is The Deepest by Rod Stewart at the foundation’s 40th anniversary of heart and lung innovations. The 40-year anniversary would celebrate the transplant performed on Fiona Coote, who at the time was one of the first and youngest Australians to undergo the procedure and make a full recovery.

Barnes himself faced a very similar diagnosis to Coote last year, with a staph infection that would spread to his heart and threaten his life. The infection that would spread in as fast as a fortnight led to emergency open heart surgery, with the singer having a new heart valve inserted. 

Hi it’s @jane13barnes here. Sharing a couple pics from earlier this morning… I’m happy to let you know that our Jimmy has made it through his surgery and is now recovering in the ICU. We’re so grateful for the incredible medical team looking after him. Thank you all 🙏♥️ pic.twitter.com/TCyBsBRa4d

— Jimmy Barnes (@JimmyBarnes) December 13, 2023

Fans were concerned that the surgery would lead to instant retirement from performing for the singer, yet the 67-year-old proved that he still had ticker by returning to the stage for Bluesfest over the easter weekend. Opening with the song Resurrection Shuffle, Barnes was ready to keep on surviving. 

He would post on Facebook about the Fundraiser night with his daughter, Mahalia Barnes:

“Last night in a room with people who saved my life.”

His wife, Jane Barnes, wrote in the original post: “An important night raising funds for heart and lung innovations. A 40th year anniversary of Fiona Coote’s heart transplant. I learned a lot about about the incredible work of these clinicians. Our family came to thank St Vincent’s Hospital and the surgical team that performed life saving surgeries on Jimmy Barnes last December. His choice of song ‘First Cut Is the Deepest’, perfect for doctors! Thank you for your generous donations”.