Queen icon Brian May is opening up about a recent health crisis he's experienced. The guitarist suffered a stroke last week and can't use his left arm.
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The Queen icon said that he chose to share the news with fans because he wanted to keep them informed. Initially, the guitarist thought he would have to retire. Doctors doubted that he would still be able to play the guitar afterwards.
"I'm here to bring you some good news — the good news is that I can play guitar after the events of the last few days," May said. "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. It was a little scary, I have to say."
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He also praised the medical staff for their "fantastic care. May said, "I didn't want to say anything at the time because I didn't want anything surrounding, you know. I really don't want sympathy."
Queen Icon's Health Issues
The Queen icon also asked fans not to send him any messages of sympathy. "Please don't do that because it'll clutter up my inbox and I hate that," he quipped. "The good news is I'm okay. Just doing what I'm told, which is basically nothing. I'm grounded."
Overall, the musician refuses to let the health issue get him down. However, he said that he can't drive or get on a plane for the time being. "Not allowed to have planes flying over, which will stress me," he said. "But I'm good."
It's not the first time May has experienced a health issue. In 2020, the Queen icon had an almost fatal heart attack in 2020. Doctors ended up putting three stents in his arteries.
"It's a long climb back," he told the Times back then. "I've had complications due to the drugs I'm on, one of which was a stomach explosion that nearly killed me. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't have high cholesterol and I was exercising through the tour, so why did it happen? At least I now have a heart that is working far better than it was."