The musician reportedly squeezed his wife, Kathy Merrick, and their daughter Kyla’s hands when they asked whether he could hear them. The response came as Paris’ medical team temporarily reduced his sedation to determine whether he could follow simple commands, according to an update from his family posted to Facebook on Monday, Aug. 17.
Earlier in the day, doctors had postponed removing Paris’ breathing tube because he first needed to show signs of being more responsive before the procedure could safely proceed, the update said.
Merrick, a member of the group Honey Cone, stood on one side of Paris’ hospital bed while the couple’s daughter, Kyla, stood on the other.
“Kyla gently asked, ‘Dad, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand.’ He did,” the update said.
Merrick then asked Paris, “I want to go home, John… do you want to go home?”
Paris squeezed her hand tightly, according to the post.
The family described the moment as a meaningful step forward but cautioned that Paris still faces a long recovery.
Paris’ doctors later sedated him again after his blood pressure rose and he had difficulty breathing. He remains under sedation while his medical team monitors him and determines the next steps.
The update did not identify the hospital or disclose Paris’ diagnosis.
Merrick, Kyla and Paris’ longtime friend Eddie Mininfield have remained at his bedside, according to the Facebook post. It also thanked Toshi, Earth, Wind & Fire’s tour manager, who was with Paris when the emergency happened in San Francisco.
The update followed a virtual prayer gathering organized by 15 of Merrick’s longtime friends from the Laverne Reed Dance Troupe. The group changed the timing so its members could pray while Merrick was at the hospital with Paris.
“Hope is being restored, and prayers are being heard. Keep praying, everybody,” Merrick said in the update
Paris was hospitalized shortly before Earth, Wind & Fire’s concert with Lionel Richie at Chase Center on Aug. 6. The show was canceled minutes before its scheduled start and later rescheduled for Sept. 26.
Tickets from the original concert will be honored on the new date. Ticket holders who cannot attend can request refunds through the original point of purchase.
Earth, Wind & Fire has not issued a separate public update on Paris’ condition.