Yahoo Lifestyle Queen’s Brian May Says That He Suffered a ‘Minor Stroke’ and Lost Temporary Control of His Arm: ‘It Was a Little Scary’
Queen lead guitarist Brian May is on the road to recovery after he suffered a “minor stroke” last week where he lost temporary control over his arm.
In a video posted to his website, the 77-year-old said that he was taken to the hospital after he began experiencing stroke symptoms, but that he’s on the mend thanks to help from his healthcare team.
More from Variety
“The good news is that I can play guitar after the events of the last few days, and I say this because it was in some doubt because that little health hiccup that I mentioned happened about a week ago and what they called it was a minor stroke,” he says. “And all of the sudden, out of the blue, I didn’t have any control over this arm. So it was a little scary, I’d have to say, I had the most fantastic care and attention from the hospital where I went. Blue lights flashing, the lot, very exciting. I might post a video if you’d like.”
May continues to explain that he’s been ordered to take it easy to fully recover from the health scare. “I didn’t want to say anything at the time because I didn’t want anything surrounding it. I really don’t want sympathy, please don’t do that because it will clutter up my inbox and I hate that,” he explains. “So the good news is I’m OK, just doing what I’m told, which is basically nothing. I’m grounded. I’m not allowed to go out. Well, I’m not allowed to drive, I’m not allowed to get on a plane, I’m not allowed to get the heart rate too high. Not allowed to have planes flying over, which will stress me. But I’m good.”
The guitarist has had a few incidents regarding his health over the past few years. In 2020, he was hospitalized after injuring his gluteus maximus in a gardening incident, and less than a month later, he suffered a heart attack that he called a “near-death experience.”
May co-founded Queen with the late lead singer Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor, and contributed to iconic songs including “We Will Rock You” and “The Show Must Go On.” In 2022, the group released “The Miracle” box set, an expanded eight-disc reissue of the 1989 album featuring previously unreleased tracks.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
