Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil has revealed he had a stroke in his sleep the day after Christmas, which is why the band postponed their upcoming Las Vegas residency.
The “Live Wire” lead vocalist opened up about his health struggles in a new interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday.
“I had a stroke,” Neil, 64, told the outlet. “My whole left side went out.”
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The “Girls, Girls, Girls” singer revealed he suffered the stroke in his sleep, since he went to bed on Christmas feeling okay. But the effects were severe.
“I had to learn to walk again, and that was tough,” Neil said. “The doctors said they didn’t think I’d be able to go back on stage again. I go, ‘No, no, I’m gonna do it. Watch and see.'”
Mötley Crüe had to delay their original Park MGM residency from March and April since Neil had to undergo a “required medical procedure” as well as months of physical therapy after his stroke.
“I went from people carrying me to the bathroom, because I couldn’t walk myself, finally to a wheelchair,” Neil said. “I graduated to a walker, and then I had a cane. Now I don’t need anything. But it’s like a full-time job getting back to where you feel good again.”
Thankfully, his voice wasn’t affected by his health scare, but he still had a long road to recovery.
“It takes a while to get your brain to start moving your legs, for them to do what your brain wants to do,” Neil said. “You try to walk but it doesn’t come out right … [I’ve] learned how to run again … It’s been tough, but I’m back. I’m 90-, 95-percent to where I was before, and it’s going to be great.”
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Neil recently returned to the stage with his solo band on Aug. 2 at Boston’s MGM Music Hall at Fenway, and Mötley Crüe released a greatest-hits compilation From The Beginning. The band’s new residency dates — featuring Neil, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, and John 5 — begin Friday and continue through Oct. 3.
Earlier this year, a plane owned by Neil veered off the runway while landing in Scottsdale, Ariz., and crashed into a parked aircraft, killing one pilot. Neil was not on the plane at the time, but his girlfriend, Rain Hannah, was among the injured.
Neil has fronted hair metal band Mötley Crüe since just after its formation in 1981 in Hollywood. The “Shout at the Devil” rockers have released nine studio albums, all of which reached top 10 status on the Billboard 200 chart.
