Queen guitarist Brian May says he had ‘minor stroke’ that left him unable to control his arm

Last Updated 1 week by Amnon J. Jobi | Amnon Front Page

Brian May, the lead guitarist of Queen, said he suffered a minor stroke last week that left him temporarily unable to control his arm.

In a video posted on his website Wednesday, the 77-year-old said he went “blue lights flashing” to Frimley Hospital in Surrey last week, where he received the “most fantastic care and attention” after losing control of his arm “out of the blue.”

May said it “was a little scary,” particularly after his ability to play guitar again was “in some doubt.” But the musician, who is also an astrophysicist and animal rights activist, said he’s now back to it after the “little health hiccup”  albeit slowly.

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“Good news is I’m okay, just doing what I’m told which is basically nothing,” May said in the video. “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, not allowed to have planes flying over, which will stress me. But I’m good.”

The guitarist said he waited to let fans in on the health scare because he didn’t want their sympathy. He asked them to still not send any because “it’ll clutter up my inbox and I hate that.”

He concluded the video by discussing his documentary, which is the result of a four-year investigation into whether badger culling in the U.K. is necessary.

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May co-founded Queen with frontman Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor in 1970. May and Taylor have continued to perform with the group since.

In May 2020, the guitarist said he had a heart attack while gardening that required three stents to be inserted into three blocked arteries. He said at the time that it left him “very near death.”