Rick Ross: ‘Teflon Don’ rapper’s airplane seizures remain a mystery

Rick Ross’ two seizures aboard two different airplanes within hours of one another has had many around Ross voicing concern for the Teflon Don’s health.

The rapper, on his way to perform at a gig with the University of Memphis basketball team, suffered a seizure on Friday morning, forcing the Delta flight he was on to make an emergency landing in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He received medical attention at a hospital there, and backers insisted he was fine. Ross said he would be keeping the night’s interstate engagement and even posted a video of himself on Twitter on board a private jet headed for Tennessee.

But Ross reportedly suffered yet another seizure on the second flight. The rapper was reportedly rushed to an emergency room in Birmingham, Ala., and did not make it to the concert.

It’s unclear what could have brought on the two seizures. If Ross suffered what’s known as a grand mal seizure, which is due to abnormal neuron activity in the brain, it could have been caused by any number of factors.

Grand mal seizures can be triggered by (among other things) traumatic head injuries; strokes; infections, such as meningitis; using or withdrawing from drugs or alcohol; or very low blood levels of glucose, sodium, calcium or magnesium, according to the Mayo Clinic. They’re often (but not always) associated with epilepsy.

Some studies have tried to explore the link between flying on airplanes and having seizures, but, according to one 2006 paper published in the journal Seizure, “seizures were significantly more common after flying. ... No seizures were reported as occurring during flight.”

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