Beloved Jacksonville Jaguars drumline director dies, wife says. ‘Touched so many lives’
Football fans in Florida mourned the loss of a longtime drumline director for the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to the team.
The team announced the death of Michael Patterson, who was co-founder and co-director of the Jaguars’ D-Line, according to a Feb. 21 Facebook post. He died after going into cardiac arrest from ventricular fibrillation, his wife, Mylene Patterson, wrote on Facebook.
Patterson was part of the Jaguars’ D-Line for 20 years, according to the team. He also was a drummer at several churches in the Jacksonville area, according to his family’s GoFundMe.
Michael Patterson went into cardiac arrest Feb. 14, causing his wife to give him chest compressions for 11 minutes until EMS arrived to use an automated external defibrillator, she said in the first of a series of Facebook posts giving updates on her husband’s condition.
He was taken to the ICU and was checked for blockages in his heart, but the medical staff didn’t find any, Mylene Patterson said.
In the days following, Michael Patterson’s responsiveness was low, but he initially seemed “restful,” his wife said in a Feb. 15 post. She said she tried to remain hopeful for her husband’s survival but was “in shock” about the possibility of being a widow at 44 years old.
“I think he might recognize my voice when I talk in his ear, but that might just be wishful thinking on my part,” she wrote.
He underwent several tests to check on his brain and heart functions, but after a few days, the doctors gave his family the “hard truth” that he would “never be himself again,” Mylene Patterson said in a Feb. 18 post.
“I feel so lost. It’s hard,” she said in her Feb. 17 post. “He’s still here, but not really. He’s a part of me & I don’t want to let go, but I also don’t want him to suffer/linger.”
Michael Patterson died Feb. 19 after experiencing a “scary episode” with his heart rate spiking, his wife said. His two children had the opportunity to visit their father before his death, she said, although they were “taking it so hard.”
During his stay in the hospital, Mylene Patterson said she remained by his side. They had a deep history — sharing 28 years together before his death, she said on Facebook.
The two were together since they were 16 years old and in high school, Mylene Patterson said. They celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary this year, she said.
“I don’t know what my life is like without him,” she wrote.
One of his last goals he had told his wife before his death was that he wanted to walk his daughter down the aisle for her wedding and see his son graduate from school, his wife said.
“I just hope they made enough wonderful memories with him during the short time they had with him. I had 28 years, and it wasn’t enough,” Mylene Patterson wrote.
Michael Patterson had previously experienced heart problems — he went into cardiac arrest in March 2022, according to his wife.
With “God’s miraculous timing and protection” paired with his wife’s CPR, he survived, Michael Patterson wrote in a Facebook post from Jan. 3, 2023. He called Mylene his “heart” and “angel,” and he said he felt “so BLESSED” to still be with his family.
Although her husband’s death left her “heartbroken,” Mylene Patterson said her extra two years spent with her husband was her “silver lining.”
Michael Patterson was scheduled for an organ donation Feb. 21, as well as a honor walk in the ICU for a “final goodbye,” his wife said on Facebook.
“Michael is SO blessed to be loved by so many and to have touched so many lives in the service of the Lord and with his musical talents,” she wrote.
‘Dedicated’ taxi driver found fatally stabbed in his cab, OR cops say. Man sentenced
Hospital CEO dies after heart surgery, and it could’ve been prevented, IL lawsuit says
Mom and 2-month-old son were killed and dumped on side of highway, Arkansas police say
