Queen guitarist Brian May recently suffered a "little health hiccup" that nearly ended his career as a musician.

The legendary rock star took to Instagram on Tuesday (September 3) to share news of a minor stroke with fans and followers, citing doubt that he would ever be able to play guitar again.

"I'm here to bring you some good news — the good news is that I can play guitar after the events of the last few days. 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. It was a little scary, I have to say."

May revealed that he lost total control of his arm during the stroke, but thanks to the help of medical professionals, is able to continue bringing masterful melodies to the world. The icon initially kept the incident quiet as he did not want people to pity his condition.

"I didn't want to say anything at the time because I didn’t want anything surrounding, you know. I really don’t want sympathy. Please don’t do that because it’ll clutter up my inbox and I hate that. The good news is I’m okay. Just doing what I’m told, which is basically nothing. I’m grounded."

Aside from receiving strict orders against driving or flying in a plane, May is pretty much back to normal and appeared to be in good spirits as he assured fans of his improved well-being.

According to New York Post, this is not the first time the storied guitarist has experienced a health scare that could very well have ended his time as a musician. In 2020, May suffered a “very near death” heart attack despite regular exercise and an apparent lack of vices.

Queen's latest tour wrapped up in February 2024. Future dates have yet to be announced as May attempts to fully recover from his recent stroke.

Watch the icon's latest health update below.

Lucy Chapman