“I Had Four Scars in My Brain”: Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil Shares Scary Details, Talks Stroke Recovery

Vince Neil is recovering after a series of strokes. During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation, the Mötley Crüe frontman revealed that he first discovered he’d a stroke the day after Christmas.

“I woke up and I couldn’t get out of bed. I’m, like, ‘What’s going on?’” he recalled. “And my left leg wouldn’t work, and my left arm wouldn’t work. So I had to get helped out of bed. I couldn’t push myself up to get myself comfortable in bed. I had to have help.”

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After calling a nurse he knew, Neil learned he’d had a stroke. He didn’t immediately go to the hospital, because he believed that the stroke occurred more than 12 hours prior, meaning they wouldn’t be able to help.

“I thought, ‘Oh, well, [the feeling will] come back in a little bit,’” he said. “But it didn’t.”

Neil noted that, though “slowly but surely, the sensation came back in my legs,” he did eventually seek medical attention. When he connected with a neurologist, Neil discovered he’d had four strokes over the years, two of which he didn’t even know about.

“I had four scars in my brain,” he shared. “The neurologist said, ‘Those are all strokes.’”

Vince Neil Details His Stroke Recovery

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While he got over three of the strokes without much incident, Neil noted that the Christmastime episode “was a big one.”

“I had to learn to walk again,” he revealed. “I went from a wheelchair to a walker to a cane. I can walk now, but for five months it was just off and on, not knowing what’s gonna happen.”

“The doctor said that I probably wouldn’t be on stage again,” Neil continued. “I was, like, ‘No, man. I can’t do that.’ And so I just tried. I worked my butt off to get back in shape to go on stage.”

As a result of the stroke, Mötley Crüe had to push their Las Vegas residency, which had been scheduled to begin in March, back to September. Other appearances were also canceled amid Neil’s health woes.

“I was really sad to have to cancel those shows, but I just wasn’t ready yet. I wasn’t ready to be back on stage yet,” Neil said. “It was really sad, but it’s really worth it now, ’cause I can get on stage and sing and all that good stuff.”

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