What happened to Brian May? Queen guitarist loses control of one arm after health scare

Queen guitarist Brian May recently suffered from a minor stroke that rendered him without control of one arm. Brian May, 77, took to Instagram on September 4 and opened up about his medical emergency and eventual recovery process.

The musician and astrophysicist described the ordeal as a 'little health hiccup' and explained how the stoke made him lose control of an arm. The veteran musician revealed he could play guitar and thanked the 'fantastic care and attention' given to him by the people at Frimley Hospital.

“I’m here to bring you first of all some news, I think. The good news is that I can play guitar after the events of the last few days. I say this because I was in some doubt, because a little health hiccup happened about a week ago. What they called it was a ‘minor stroke’.”

Brian May also revealed why he had waited so long to talk about his medical condition to his fans.

“I didn’t wanna 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’ll clutter up my inbox, and I hate that. The good news is I’m OK.”

Finally, May revealed he was instructed to avoid basic day-to-day activities until he was fully back on his feet.

“I’m ok and doing what I’m told, which is basically nothing. I’m grounded, I’m not allowed to go out, drive, get on a plane, I’m not allowed to raise the heart rate too high. But I am good."

We are yet to learn more details about the recovery process of the Queen's guitarist. It is not clear whether his affected arm will have a long-term impact on his guitar playing.

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Brian May once opened up about his near-death experience concerning his heart condition

F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain - Source: Getty (Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images)

Brian May has been fighting with heart problems for a long time now. The guitarist severely damaged his gluteus maximus during a gardening accident that left him with severe nerve damage. During treatment, doctors discovered that three of his arteries were severely congested and could give him a heart attack.

Opening up about his heart problems in a September 2020 interview with The Times, Brian May talked about the complications of his prescribed drugs. He revealed complete recovery from his heart condition was still a long climb back.

“I’ve had complications due to the drugs I’m on, one of which was a stomach explosion that nearly killed me," said the guitarist. The heart attack was a symbol of an arterial disease, but 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.”

Brian May also talked about the 'unbelievable' support he got from fans, highlighting that his email inbox was filled with 'incredible messages.'

“I often think that at funerals, all these people come and say these wonderful things about the person that’s gone but he or she can’t hear it. I’m lucky, I got to hear it – so my life is complete. Yeah, I’m sorry if that sounds weird, but I can’t compare it with anything," he concluded.

Earlier this year, Brian May was part of a string of tour dates with Adam Lambert. However, the guitarist doesn't have any events lined up soon, giving him ample time to make a full recovery.