Jimmy Barnes has shared that he is “recovering well” after suffering from another health scare.
The 68-year-old Cold Chisel frontman shared the news on Instagram on August 4, revealing that he had admitted himself to hospital after experiencing hip pain whilst on tour in New Zealand.
“I’ve got some bad news, unfortunately. I had a twinge in my hip when I was leaving Dunedin on Thursday morning and by late last night the pain was unbearable so I went off to hospital,” he wrote.
“The doctors have recommended a remedial medical procedure ASAP followed by some physio to address the issue. These doctors don’t muck around! Providing all goes to plan, I’m expected to make a full recovery in six weeks.”
Despite his positive prognosis, Barnes shared that as a result of his sudden health setback, he now had to postpone his solo tour dates for August/September 2024.
“As you know, I hate to let anyone down, but I’m also never going to compromise the quality of my gigs,” he wrote. “I apologise for the inconvenience this will cause everyone – I HATE moving shows! – but thank you for understanding.”
The following morning, Barnes’ wife Jane provided an update and thanked fans for their unwavering support, writing, “You are an incredible online community of family, friends and followers who offer up your kindness and thoughtfulness during trying times like these.”
“Jimmy is out of ICU and recovering well. I brought in some healing chicken soup and chocolate chip cookies for afternoon tea, a bit of home always helps hospital days. Our kids are always around watching over us. Full of love.”
News of Barnes’ treatment comes just over nine months since the singer previously shared that he was undergoing treatment in hospital for bacterial pneumonia that had spread to his heart.
“[The bacteria has] infected an otherwise healthy valve that was replaced some years ago due to a congenital defect, so I’ll be getting open heart surgery over the next few hours to clear out this infection and put in a clean valve,” Barnes explained to his fans at the time.
“Just a few weeks ago, I was the fittest I’ve been in decades! Anyway, as you can hopefully appreciate, this has all happened very suddenly so it’s going to take a few days to figure out what’s going to be doable with my upcoming shows.”
Barnes’ emergency open-heart surgery came almost one year after the Australian rock icon revealed that he was undergoing hip replacement surgery.
“After jumping off PAs and stomping around stages for nearly 50 years, it’s finally caught up with me,” he said. “I’ve had niggling back and hip issues for years, but things suddenly got a lot worse over the last few weeks and I’m now in constant and severe pain.
“As everybody knows, it’s against my religion to blow out gigs, but the doctors tell me I need an operation as soon as possible and it will really limit my movement for a few months. As much as it kills me to inconvenience everyone, I have to get this fixed so I can jump around on stage for another 50 years.”
Following three months of active rehabilitation, he took to Twitter in February 2023 to share the exciting news that he had been permitted to perform again.
“We’ve got a 10 out of 10, and an all-clear to get on the next plane. Land of Smiles here we come,” he wrote, sharing a picture with Jane at the airport.
