Queen’s Brian May Reveals Minor Stroke; Guitarist Recovering After “Health Hiccup” Left Him Unable To Use Arm

Erik Pedersen
·1 min read

Don’t fret: He will rock you again.

Queen’s founding guitarist Brian May revealed that he had a “minor stroke” last week that left him unable to use his left arm for a while. But the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is recovering and assured the faithful that the episode is not career-threatening.

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“The good news is that I can play guitar,” May said in a video shared on his website on Wednesday (watch it below). “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. And all of a sudden, out of the blue, I didn’t have any control over this arm, so it was a little scary.”

That indeed is good news for the legion of Queen worshippers around the globe. The English band released a slew of platinum albums and smash singles starting in the mid-1970s, including six No. 1 hits in the UK and two stateside. The group has sold more than 87.5 million records in the U.S. alone.

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Also featuring drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon, Queen found a new generation of fans with the 2018 rock biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. The film grossed an astounding $910.8 million worldwide, and Rami Malek won an Oscar for playing revered frontman Freddie Mercury.

Now led by American Idol alum Adam Lambert, Queen finished its long, globe-tripping, Coivd-affected Rhapsody Tour in February after more than 100 concerts.

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