Queen guitarist Brian May reveals he suffered a ‘minor stroke’: ‘I didn’t have any control over left arm’

Brian May, the legendary guitarist of Queen, is widely recognised for his extraordinary musical talent and contributions to the world of rock music. He also played a part in writing some of Queen's most iconic songs, such as We Will Rock You, The Show Must Go On, and I Want It All. Last year, the guitarist revealed that the band disliked it when fans sang along with them during concerts.

At 77 years old, May has also become known for his resilience in facing health challenges. In recent years, he has navigated several health scares, including a heart attack in 2020. However, he recently faced another frightening moment when he suffered a minor stroke.

Brian May reveals he suffered from a minor stroke recently: ‘Out of the blue’

May shared his experience in a video posted on Instagram, explaining that he initially hesitated to make the news public because he did not want to attract sympathy. In his own words, he did not want sympathy cluttering up his inbox, as he preferred to focus on his recovery.

However, he eventually revealed that he suffered a minor stroke about a week ago, according to Metro.co.uk. The health scare happened ‘out of the blue’ for him, and he feared he wouldn’t be able to play the guitar again. He shared:

I’m here to bring you some good news I think – I can play guitar after the events of the last few days. I say this because it was in some doubt because that little health hiccup I mentioned happened about a week ago and what they called it was a minor stroke.

All of a sudden out of the blue I didn’t have any control over this [left] arm. So it’s a little scary I have to say, I had the most fantastic care and attention. Blue lights flashing, the lot, very exciting.

Currently, May is following strict medical advice to recover quickly, which includes being ‘grounded’ at home and avoiding activities that could raise his heart rate or cause further strain. He said:

I’m grounded. I'm not allowed to go out – well I’m not allowed to drive, not allowed to get on a plane, not allowed to raise the heart rate too high.

Brian May ‘nearly lost his life’ in 2020

May has suffered several health scares in the past, including a heart attack in May 2020. A report published by CNN in 2020 revealed that the iconic guitarist nearly lost his life due to complications from the heart attack.

Reportedly, May suffered a mild heart attack, and doctors discovered that he had three blocked arteries. He was rushed to hospital as an emergency case and opted for the insertion of three stents. However, the challenges didn’t end there. The medications prescribed to him post-surgery had severe side effects.

One of these was a life-threatening stomach haemorrhage, which May later referred to as a ‘stomach explosion.’ He appeared on Good Morning Britain at the time and said:

I nearly lost my life. It was pretty bad, and the complications that came afterwards were pretty bad.

I lost an awful lot of blood all at one time and just was wiped out. [I] couldn’t move. [I] couldn’t get across the floor.

Adding:

I had sciatica as well. I’m not quite sure how I got that. The actual heart operation was a doddle compared with the sciatica.

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Sources used

Metro.co.uk: Queen legend Brian May, 77, suffers stroke in ‘scary’ emergency

CNN: Brian May ‘nearly lost’ his life after heart attack