Queen guitarist Brian May says he had a ‘minor stroke’ but can still play

Advertisement

Advertise with us

LONDON (AP) — Brian May, the lead guitarist of British rock band Queen, revealed Wednesday that he had a “minor stroke” last week, which caused him to temporarily lose control over his arm.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/09/2024 (768 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LONDON (AP) — Brian May, the lead guitarist of British rock band Queen, revealed Wednesday that he had a “minor stroke” last week, which caused him to temporarily lose control over his arm.

May, 77, said in a video on his website that he was doing “OK” but that he was “grounded” and advised not to drive, fly or do any activity which raises his heart rate too high.

“I’m here to bring you first of all some good news, I think, good news is that I can play guitar after the events of the last few days,” he said. “And I say this because it was in some doubt because that little health hiccup that I mentioned, happened about a week ago, and what they called it was a minor stroke and all of a sudden, out of the blue, I didn’t have any control over this arm.”

FILE - Brian May performs at the Platinum Jubilee concert taking place in front of Buckingham Palace, London, on June 4, 2022. Brian May, the lead guitarist of legendary British rock band Queen, revealed Wednesday that he had a “minor stroke” last week, which caused him to temporarily lose control over his arm. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool File)
FILE - Brian May performs at the Platinum Jubilee concert taking place in front of Buckingham Palace, London, on June 4, 2022. Brian May, the lead guitarist of legendary British rock band Queen, revealed Wednesday that he had a “minor stroke” last week, which caused him to temporarily lose control over his arm. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool File)

May said the experience was “a little scary” but praised the “fantastic care” he received from his local hospital in Surrey, southwest of London.

“I really don’t want sympathy,” he said. “Please don’t do that because it will clutter up my inbox and I hate that!”

May and Roger Taylor, the drummer of Queen, have continued to perform since the band’s frontman Freddie Mercury died in 1991.

Report Error Submit a Tip

More Stories

What's open, what's closed, what's up on Thanksgiving

Free Press staff 3 minute read Preview

What's open, what's closed, what's up on Thanksgiving

Free Press staff 3 minute read Friday, Oct. 9, 2026

Here's a round-up of things to do and hours of business for services on Thanksgiving Day 2026.

Read
Friday, Oct. 9, 2026

Eagles’ Jeremiah Trotter Jr. gets ejected in London 21 years after his father was tossed from a game

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Eagles’ Jeremiah Trotter Jr. gets ejected in London 21 years after his father was tossed from a game

The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:00 PM CDT

LONDON (AP) — Philadelphia linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr.'s ejection from Sunday's 19-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London came 21 years after his father was also tossed from an NFL game.

Bryan Thomas Jr. of the Jaguars also was ejected after a scrum at midfield at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that followed the opening kickoff.

Trotter’s father, Jeremiah Trotter, was tossed in 2005 with Philadelphia after a pre-game scuffle in a meeting with Atlanta.

Jacksonville rookie Josh Cameron returned the kickoff 90 yards for a would-be touchdown, but it was called back because of offsetting penalties that included a hold by Branson Combs of the Jaguars.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 4:00 PM CDT

Queen guitarist Brian May says he had a ‘minor stroke’ but can still play

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Queen guitarist Brian May says he had a ‘minor stroke’ but can still play

The Associated Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 4, 2024

LONDON (AP) — Brian May, the lead guitarist of British rock band Queen, revealed Wednesday that he had a “minor stroke” last week, which caused him to temporarily lose control over his arm. May, 77, said in a video on his website that he was doing “OK” but that he was “grounded” and advised not to drive, fly or do any activity which raises his heart rate too high. “I’m here to bring you first of all some good news, I think, good news is that I can play guitar after the events of the last few days,” he said. […]

Read
Wednesday, Sep. 4, 2024

Hurricane Simon pounds resorts and vulnerable towns along Mexico’s Pacific coast

Fernando Llano And Martin Silva, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Hurricane Simon pounds resorts and vulnerable towns along Mexico’s Pacific coast

Fernando Llano And Martin Silva, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 2:38 AM CDT

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Simon pounded Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 3 storm on Sunday, its eye remaining just offshore as its most powerful winds and rain slammed people living between the Sierra Madre and the ocean.

The hurricane's center swirled parallel to the coast, closing in on the Puerto Vallarta area, where its most damaging winds and rain were expected to hit around midnight and continue through Monday morning. Its maximum sustained winds weakened late Sunday to 115 mph (185 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, but it was still expected to remain a dangerous hurricane.

That’s not good news for people in and around Puerto Vallarta, a popular tourist destination in the state of Jalisco. Just inland and uphill from the resort areas, many Mexicans live in communities where housing might not stand up to the storm.

By late Sunday, Simon's eye was moving northwest about 45 miles (75 kilometers) south of Cabo Corrientes at about 5 mph (7 kph). A senior hurricane center specialist, Philippe Papin, said this westernmost tip of mainland Mexico is the area most likely to get a direct hit from the system. Cabo Corrientes is at the southern tip of Bahia de Banderas, the wide bay where Puerto Vallarta looks out to the Pacific.

Read
Updated: 2:38 AM CDT

Jets encouraged by play through first five games

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Preview

Jets encouraged by play through first five games

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026

Turkey. Stuffing. And a heaping helping of rest and recovery.

The Winnipeg Jets have plenty to be thankful for this holiday weekend, including a solid 3-1-1 start to the NHL campaign. Players and coaches are also counting their blessings at finally getting a breather after a busy stretch of five games in eight days.

“We don’t have another (break like this) until a week before Christmas. So we’re going to take advantage of it,” head coach Scott Arniel said following the club’s first regulation loss, a 5-1 stinker on Friday night against the visiting Anaheim Ducks.

To borrow a funny old Thanksgiving-related phrase from former defenceman Nate Schmidt, the hockey club was “leaking gravy.” They looked like a group that could use a timeout — which they’ll get since they don’t play again until hosting the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.

Read
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026

Puerto Vallarta boards up as Hurricane Simon hits Category 4 strength

The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Puerto Vallarta boards up as Hurricane Simon hits Category 4 strength

The Associated Press 3 minute read Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) — Simon has strengthened into a powerful Category 4 hurricane as it barrels toward Mexico’s coast.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Saturday that Simon’s maximum sustained winds increased to 150 mph (240 kph). A storm of that strength or greater is considered a major hurricane.

The center said it expected Simon “to be near or just inland” of Mexico's west-central coast on Sunday. The hurricane could bring as much as 10 to 20 inches (25-50 cm) of rain over parts of southwestern Mexico, with some areas in the states of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco receiving up to 30 inches (76 centimeters).

“This rainfall will produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain,” the center warned in a bulletin that also urged residents to take immediate action to prepare as tropical-storm conditions were expected to arrive Saturday afternoon.

Read
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026