Brian May, Queen guitarist, says he had minor stroke that left him unable to play

By Issy Ronald, CNN

London (CNN) — Queen guitarist Brian May had a minor stroke last week that left him unable to control his left arm or play guitar, he said on Wednesday in a video posted on his Instagram feed and website.

He explained that he had suffered a “health hiccup,” since diagnosed as a “minor stroke,” and went “blue lights flashing” to the hospital when he couldn’t use his arm last week, but he reassured fans that he had since recovered enough to play his guitar.

Although May is most famous as a founding member of Queen and for writing some of the legendary rock band’s biggest hits, including “We Will Rock You” and “Who Wants to Live Forever,” he has also enjoyed a career as an astrophysicist and animal rights activist.

“Good news is that I can play guitar after the events of the last few days,” he said, adding that it “was a little scary” but that he “had the most fantastic care and attention from Frimley Hospital.”

He said he was “okay” and “just doing what I’m told, which is basically nothing,” listing the things he can’t do at the moment like drive, get on a plane or raise his heart rate too high.

As he spoke, a plane flew overhead and he joked that “I’m not allowed to have planes flying over, which will stress me.”

Later in the video, May also spoke about his recently released documentary detailing his decade-long campaign to stop Britain’s controversial badger cull.

The musician has suffered from a series of health issues in recent years.

In May 2020, he had a heart attack, after which he had three stents – short, wire-mesh tubes that act like a scaffold to help keep an artery open – put in to alleviate the danger of blood supply being blocked from the heart.

Afterward, May told the television show “Good Morning Britain” that he nearly died when he suffered a range of complications, including a stomach hemorrhage as a result of the medication he was taking for his heart.

In March last year, he was knighted by King Charles III for his services to music and charity.

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CNN’s Amy Woodyatt contributed reporting.