Sir Rod Stewart trapped in Prada elevator with son during shopping trip
Sir Rod Stewart found himself in an unexpected predicament last week when he became trapped in an elevator at a Prada store alongside his son Alastair, 20, and Alastair's girlfriend Mell Ratto.
The 81-year-old music icon, who turned that age in January, appeared remarkably calm during the ordeal, sitting on the elevator floor looking somewhat bored rather than panicked. After waiting for assistance that didn't immediately arrive, the group took matters into their own hands, reaching out to Prada via Instagram with a simple message: "Can someone help get us out of the elevator?"
Despite Stewart's legendary status in the music industry—having sold more than 120 million records worldwide and earning two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions, first as a solo artist in 1994 and again as a member of The Faces in 2012—help was not expedited. The trio eventually settled in for the wait, sprawling on the elevator floor.
Recent health concerns
The elevator incident comes amid a series of health-related setbacks for Stewart. In June, he was forced to cancel multiple concerts at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas due to battling the flu, including shows on June 7, 8, and 10. Later that month, on June 19, he required an oxygen tank during a performance at the Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre in West Valley City while singing "Young Turks," nearly fainting on stage and taking breaths from the apparatus throughout the remainder of the show.
The week prior to the oxygen incident, Stewart had cancelled a concert in California citing health concerns, only to board a private jet to Boston the following day to watch Scotland defeat Haiti 1-0 in their FIFA World Cup Group C match on June 13. John McGinn scored the only goal in the 28th minute. The decision to attend the football match while cancelling a performance did not sit well with disappointed fans who had expected to see him perform.
Family context
Alastair is one of Stewart's eight children from various relationships. Stewart was knighted in the 2016 Birthday Honours for his services to music and charity, a recognition of his decades-long contribution to the entertainment industry.
While trapped elevators are a common nightmare for many people, Stewart and his companions appeared to take the situation in stride, waiting patiently for rescue rather than displaying panic. The incident serves as a reminder that even global superstars occasionally face the same mundane inconveniences as everyone else.
