Editing Howlin' Wolf (section)

=== Health ===
Burnett's health began declining in the late 1960s. He suffered his first heart attack in 1969 as he and Hubert Sumlin were traveling to a show at [[University of Chicago]]. He fell against the dashboard of the car he was riding in, and Sumlin, who was driving, pulled over and grabbed a two-by-four piece of wood that was lying in the road. Sumlin then rammed the wood into Burnett's back, which kick-started his heart.<ref name="Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf"/> Three weeks later, while he was in Toronto for a gig, Burnett suffered additional heart and kidney problems, but refused an operation recommended by doctors, telling his wife that "he needed to keep working".<ref name="Howlin' Wolf, 1910-1976"/>

In 1970, Burnett was involved in a serious car accident that sent him flying through the windshield, which caused extensive damage to his kidneys. For the rest of his life, he received dialysis treatments every three days, which wife Lillie administered.<ref name="Wolf Biography">{{cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Mark |title=Howlin' Wolf Biography, Part 3 |url=http://www.howlinwolf.com/articles/bio_3.htm |date=July 18, 2012 |website=Howlinwolf.com |access-date=September 8, 2022}}</ref> In May that same year, while he was in the United Kingdom to record ''The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions'', his health problems worsened. A year later, Burnett suffered another heart attack, and his kidneys had failed. He also began suffering from high blood pressure. By May 1973, Burnett was back performing again.<ref name="Howlin' Wolf, 1910-1976"/> The bandleader, Eddie Shaw, was so concerned for Burnett's health that he limited him to performing six songs per concert.