By Patrick Jones
Caribbean Net News Belize Correspondent
Email: patrick@caribbeannetnews.com

BELIZE CITY, Belize: Belizean entertainer, and recent recipient of UNESCO's Artist for Peace award Andy Palacio has been flown by air ambulance to the United States for medical treatment.

Palacio, 47, took ill on Wednesday at his home in Belmopan. Initially it was thought that the Garifuna entertainer and cultural ambassador for Belize had suffered a stroke, but doctors here determined, following a battery of tests, that the musical icon did not suffer a stroke.

Palacio was flown to the Chicago Medical Centre overnight where he will undergo further tests to determine what is causing what has been described as "stroke-like siezures."

On Thursday afternoon, Palacio's music producer Ivan Duran issued a press statement saying that Palacio is in a critical condition and is being flown out to the United States for urgent medial treatment at University of Chicago Medical Center.

Duran says he and the rest of the Palacio's family and friends are still in shock over what has happened to the artiste. He asked Belizeans to keep Andy Palacio in their prayers and said that he will wait until further tests have been completed before making any other statements to the media.