Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil has disclosed that he suffered a stroke in December, an ordeal that forced him to relearn how to walk and temporarily step away from the stage, reports NME.
Earlier this year, the band postponed their planned 11-show residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas. Originally set to run from March 28 to April 19, the residency was delayed and eventually kicked off on September 12, continuing through October 3. A scheduled festival performance in May was also cancelled.
Speaking to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Neil revealed the true reason behind the delays. “I had a stroke. My whole left side went out,” he said. “I had to learn to walk again, and that was tough. The doctors told me I probably wouldn’t make it back to the stage. I told them, ‘No, no, I’m gonna do it. Watch and see.’”
At the time of the postponement, Neil cited recovery from a vocal procedure as the cause, emphasizing that his “health is my top priority” so fans could get the best possible shows. But now, it’s clear his condition was far more serious.
Neil underwent intensive physical therapy in Nashville over the following months, regaining mobility step by step. “I went from people carrying me to the bathroom, to a wheelchair, then a walker, then a cane,” he recalled. “Now I don’t need anything. But it’s like a full-time job getting back to where you feel good again.”
Although his singing voice was not affected, Neil admitted that retraining his brain to move his legs was one of the hardest challenges. “You try to walk but it doesn’t come out right,” he said, adding that he now feels about “95 per cent back” to his pre-stroke self.
Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx recently hinted at health-related challenges within the band when explaining why they didn’t join Black Sabbath’s ‘Back to the Beginning’ farewell concert.
Neil also endured another difficult episode earlier this year when his private jet was involved in a fatal crash in February. Though he was not on board, his partner Rain Andreani and a friend sustained non-life-threatening injuries, along with the co-pilot, who lost his life.
In a statement shared by Neil’s representative Worrick Robinson, it was confirmed that the plane veered off the runway and collided with another parked aircraft.
Despite the setbacks, Neil has fought his way back to the stage, determined to prove the doctors wrong and keep rocking with Mötley Crüe.
