British rocker and Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers has secretly battled to regain his voice after suffering a series of strokes which left him unable to speak.
“I couldn’t do anything to be honest… I couldn’t speak,” the “Feel Like Makin’ Love” singer-songwriter revealed about his condition to “CBS Mornings.” “That was a very strange thing. You know, I’d prepare something in my mind and I’d say it, but that isn’t what came out. And I’d go, ‘What the heck did I just say?’”
Rodgers suffered 11 minor strokes and two major strokes, the second of which nearly killed him.
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Paul Rodger, frontman for the bands Free and Bad Company, has suffered 11 minor and two major strokes over the past several years. (Scott Dudelson/WireImage)
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The singer, now 73, had his first major stroke in 2016. In 2019, he received an endarterectomy, “a procedure to remove plaque buildup from narrowed or blocked arteries,” as defined by the Cleveland Clinic.
Doctors had to make an incision in his neck, close to where his vocal cords are located.
Paul Rodgers, left, and Mick Ralphs of Bad Company perform in London circa 1979. (Pete Still/Redferns/Getty Images)
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Rodgers’ doctor was transparent and admitted to the legendary rocker that surgery could kill him.
“They told me, they’re very clear, you may not come out of this alive. And I said, ‘Oh, well, that’s a plus, isn’t it?'” he joked.
“So, we’re like fingers crossed, you know. And when I woke up — I opened my eyes, I thought, ‘Oh! I’m still here.'”
Paul Rodgers is stunned that he was able to create music again after his strokes. (Rick Kern/WireImage/Getty Images)
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Rodgers’ wife, Cynthia, who has stood by his side, said all she wanted “to be able to do was walk and talk with him again,” and she remained optimistic that her husband would recover.
He did, and he continues to sing. Rodgers released his solo album, “Midnight Rose,” last week, which he called “a miracle” given all he’s been through.
A representative for the singer did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
