American Idol winner Phillip Phillips underwent a six-and-a-half hour kidney operation yesterday (June 6) to remove kidney stones. According to TMZ, who first reported the news, the stones were “so huge there was no chance he could’ve passed them on his own.”
“The surgery went well,” says a source close to the show told EW. “He’s doing well and looking forward to starting the Idol tour in July.”
Phillips had competed on the 11th Season of American Idol in extreme pain. In March, he was hospitalized for emergency treatment relating to his kidney stones. Though the contestant missed out on a few Idol activities, such as filming many of the Ford music videos, he never missed a performance night, though he admits he did come close to quitting the show.
“It was very tough [getting through the season],” Phillips previously said of his illness. “I had great doctors and great people surrounding me [who] really helped out, so it’s just a blessing to be here.”
The 21-year-old “Home” singer was reportedly scheduled for surgery last week, but delayed the operation due to a fever and sinus infection.
The standard recovery time of a surgery like this is approximately six weeks, though Phillips’ reps say he won’t miss any dates of the upcoming American Idols Live tour, which kicks off July 6.
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