George Kahumoku will be performing at the inaugural Slack Key Festival at The Shops at Wailea on Saturday, with proceeds going toward the Maui Strong Fund to help those affected by the Aug. 8 fires. Kahumoku, a longtime local musician, said he is planning to sell his farm and move to Santa Cruz, Calif., to be closer to family. Photo courtesy George Kahumoku

Working in fields above Kahakuloa on Aug. 16, Hawaiian music legend George Kahumoku Jr. had a health scare. Experiencing a heart arrhythmia, he ended up at Maui Memorial Medical Center.

“I was working in a field harvesting food for the homeless on the other side, washing bananas and stuff, and I passed out on the ground,” he explained. “My workers found me. I had an AFib, my heart was just going crazy. But I’m all good now. I just got to watch like I need more sleep, and I think I need some medication. I think I had some blood clots.”

While in hospital, he posted on Facebook: “I feel like I’m at the Ritz Carlton. Breakfast just came! Ono!”

The immediate impact is that doctors have told Kahumoku, acclaimed as “Hawaii’s Renaissance Man,” that he needs to slow down. That hasn’t stopped him from playing for two benefits, a paddle-out event today at Kalama Park to mark one month since the Aug. 8 fires in Lahaina and Upcountry, and a festival on Saturday in Wailea.

He is among the musicians who will perform at the inaugural Slack Key Festival on Saturday at The Shops at Wailea, with proceeds benefiting the Maui Strong Fund. The lineup includes Maui musicians Kevin Brown and Anthony Pfluke, with the addition of the Slack Key ‘Ohana from California.

“Some of those guys are students of mine from a long time ago,” he said. “They’re coming from San Diego. I’m looking forward to that.”

On their website, Slack Key ‘Ohana is described as blending beautiful Hawaiian melodies with Beach Boys/Elvis Presley-style harmonies. They will release their latest album, “Hawaiian Cowboy” later this year.

In line with his health condition, Kahumoku is making plans to leave Maui, selling his Kahakuloa farm and moving to Santa Cruz. His departure will depend on when they can sell the farm.

“I cannot do the farming anymore because of my health, and my wife wants to move closer to all the grandkids,” he explained. “I adopted eight girls, and I got seven boys, 15 kids. My wife has a son and a daughter. We got 34 grandkids, and 11 great-grandkids, and they all live in the West, in Idaho, Washington, Nevada, and New Mexico. That’s why we’re selling the farm and trying to move over there.”

Following the Lahaina fire, Kahumoku’s “Slack Key Show” in Napili is currently on hold.

“I’m still going to have my show here,” he said. “The boys are going to carry it on. I’ll come back maybe three or four times a year.”

A former student and teacher at Lahainaluna High School, Kahumoku said that the devastation in West Maui is “just too much.”

“A lot of my students and their parents have passed away,” he said. “I’ve been asked to play for their funerals. I’ve been just trying to pace myself. I am just trying to self-care right now.”

On Facebook, he posted, “We are in the midst of life changing times here on Maui. Our life on Maui will never be the same. Things are upsie turvy and each day is both a struggle and a blessing.”

Facing life changes, he is hoping to focus more on “drawing, more writing, more creative stuff and finishing books. I’m not as strong as I used to be.”

In August he joined fellow Grammy winners Daniel Ho and Tia Carrere, releasing the album “Live on Tour,” featuring a blend of island classics, Hawaiian hymns, original music and storytelling.

“We are going to go on tour again in January and February, touring the East Coast,” he said. “We were on tour last October and November and recorded the album.”

Right after his hospital stay, wondering about the future, he composed a poignant haiku:

“Who will farm this land?

Who will water all the plants

Who will take my place?

Let Go and God

God’s will be done, not my will

Trust, let Go, Have Faith.

Welcome in the new

Close the door to all the past

Tomorrow is here.”

Honoring the memories of the victims of the Lahaina fire, the paddle-out event with live music and food at Kalama Park runs from 8 a.m. to sunset today. Another paddle-out event is also planned for the Thousand Peaks area at noon today.

The first annual Slack Key Festival is presented from 1:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday at The Shops at Wailea, with proceeds benefiting the Maui Strong Fund.