Queen guitarist Brian May has announced that he recently suffered a mild stroke which has left him without the use of his left arm.
The band’s lead guitarist and astrophysicist announced that he was experiencing “health issues” last week, but assured fans that he was recovering and able to make music again after temporarily being unable to control his limbs.
“The good news is I can play guitar,” May said in a video posted on his website on Wednesday. “I had a few doubts because the little health hiccup I mentioned happened about a week ago. They called it a mild stroke and suddenly out of the blue I had no control of my arm, so it was a little scary.”
May said he was resting and could not drive or fly, nor could he see any planes flying overhead, he joked, as one could be heard on the video taken outdoors.
“I really don’t want pity,” said the musician. “Please don’t do that because it clogs up my inbox and I hate that.”
The revelation came weeks after the BBC Two documentary Brian May: The Badgers, the Farmers and Me aired. The musician is at the forefront of a decades-long campaign to end badger hunting.
Around 200,000 have been killed in the last decade because the UK government claims badgers are responsible for spreading bovine tuberculosis, requiring the slaughter of all infected cattle – around 20,000 a year. Combating the spread of bovine tuberculosis costs the taxpayer around £100 million a year.
The mass killings since 2013 have not been without controversy. There is no scientific consensus on whether they have reduced badger TB numbers – several studies have found they have had no positive effect, and a recent study found that a large-scale vaccination programme could help eradicate badger TB numbers.
In his video, May said: “The other news is that our documentary has been very memorable and we have had a great response, particularly from farmers.
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“It doesn’t surprise me that we are not at odds with the farmers at all. We are at odds with the people who gave them the wrong information.”
