Taylor Swift’s Dad Scott Doing ‘Fantastic’ After Undergoing Heart Surgery

Taylor Swift‘s father, Scott Swift, is on the mend after undergoing heart surgery, with a rep for the pop star telling Billboard on Wednesday (July 16) that the stockbroker is “doing fantastic.”

According to reports that emerged earlier Wednesday morning, Scott, who is 73, received quintuple bypass surgery more than a month ago. People confirmed that the businessman chose to get the procedure after going in for a general checkup, during which his doctor recommended the operation, the purpose of which, per the Mayo Clinic , is “to restore blood flow around a blocked heart artery.” 

The surgery was not the result of a heart attack. The 14-time Grammy winner and her younger brother, actor Austin Swift, were reportedly by their father’s side throughout the process, as was Scott’s wife of 37 years, Andrea Swift.

Scott has been instrumental in Taylor’s career from the very beginning, investing in the musician’s very first label home, Big Machine Records. For as long as Taylor has been touring, Scott has also been known to hand out guitar picks and chat with fans on venue grounds, earning himself the nickname “Papa Swift.”  

Taylor has paid tribute to her dad a few times in her music as well, most notably on “The Best Day” from 2008 album Fearless. On the track, which is dedicated to Andrea, the Eras Tour headliner sings, “I have an excellent father/ His strength is making me stronger.”

The health update comes about six years after Taylor shared that her dad had previously had cancer in an essay written for Elle. In that same piece, the hitmaker also opened up about her mom’s battle with the illness; after Andrea was diagnosed with cancer in 2015, her doctors found that she also had a brain tumor, Taylor revealed in 2020.

“I’ve had to learn how to handle serious illness in my family,” Taylor wrote at the time. “It’s taught me that there are real problems and then there’s everything else … I used to be so anxious about daily ups and downs. I give all of my worry, stress and prayers to real problems now.” 

The musician’s father has also been known to be protective of his famous daughter. When Big Machine founder Scott Borchetta sold the label to Scooter Braun in 2019 — a move to which Taylor has been vocal in her opposition — Mr. Swift refused to sign an NDA that would have involved him in negotiations, the singer’s team has said in the past.

Taylor’s dad also made headlines in 2024 when he was accused of assaulting a photographer who’d been trying to take photos of her in Australia. Shortly afterward, a rep told Billboard that the incident occurred as two individuals had been “aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water,” and local police later confirmed that they would not be taking further action.