Brian May says he can still play guitar after ‘mild stroke’

Queen guitarist Brian May recently suffered a mild stroke that temporarily prevented him from using his left arm.

However, he noted that he could still play guitar after the “minor health problem.”

“I’m here to give you some good news. The good news is that after the events of the last few days, I can play the guitar again,” the 77-year-old said in a video posted on Instagram on Wednesday. During the clip, he waved the fingers of his left hand.

“I say that because there were some doubts because the little health hiccup I mentioned happened about a week ago and it was called a mild stroke. And suddenly, out of the blue, I had no control of my arm. It was a bit scary, I must say.”

According to the BBC, the “Bohemian Rhapsody” musician said he was taken to hospital after the stroke and received “fantastic care” at Frimley Hospital in Surrey, England.

“I didn’t want to say anything at the time because I didn’t want anything around me, you know. I really don’t want any pity. Please don’t do that because that would clutter up my inbox and I hate that,” he said, adding: “The good news is that I’m OK. I’m just doing what I’m told and that’s basically nothing. I’m grounded.”

May said he was not allowed to go out much, drive a car or get on a plane, or do anything that “raises his heart rate too much.”

The rockers from “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You” finished a five-day tour in Japan in mid-February and have not been on tour since. “American Idol” alumnus Adam Lambert has been the lead singer since 2011, replacing the band’s legendary singer Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991. It is unclear whether May’s health will affect the band’s upcoming performances.

Queen’s representatives did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment on Wednesday.

The legendary rocker, who will be knighted by King Charles III in 2023, suffered a “minor heart attack” in 2020 that brought him “very close to death” at the time. Doctors told him he had three blocked arteries and put in three stents to keep them open. He told the Times of London at the time that he had other health complications due to the medication he was taking, one of which “caused a stomach explosion that almost killed me.”