Mötley Crüe Frontman Vince Neil Reveals He Suffered a Stroke, Previously Delaying Residency: ‘I Had to Learn to Walk Again’

In April, the band canceled an appearance at Boardwalk Rock Festival amid Neil’s health concerns

Vince Neil performs during the rock and metal festival Copenhell

Vince Neil in Copenhagen in June 2023.Credit : HELLE ARENSBAK/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty

Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil opened up about his health issues.

In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday, Sept. 12, the lead vocalist revealed he suffered a stroke the day after Christmas.

“I had a stroke,” Neil, 64, told the publication. “My whole left side went out.”

According to the “Sister of Pain” musician, he went to bed feeling fine on Christmas night, but his “health scare” began in his sleep.

Because of his stroke, Neil had to delay Mötley Crüe’s original residency dates at Park MGM due to a “required medical procedure.” The dates were then moved from March and April to the upcoming shows on Sept. 12 through Oct. 3.

Vince Neil performs with Motley Crue at Marvel Stadium

Vince Neil in November 2023 in Melbourne, Australia.Sam Tabone/WireImage

“I had to learn to walk again, and that was tough,” said the “Can’t Change Me” artist. “The doctors said they didn’t think I’d be able to go back on stage again. I go, ‘No, no, I’m gonna do it. Watch and see.’”

Neil added that “Mötley canceled the first part of the (residency) so I could get better.”

He revealed that he did months of physical therapy afterward.

“I went from people carrying me to the bathroom, because I couldn’t walk myself, finally to a wheelchair,” said Neil. “I graduated to a walker, and then I had a cane. Now I don’t need anything. But it’s like a full-time job getting back to where you feel good again.”

Motley Crue's Vince Neil sparks health concerns with stiff performance

While his voice wasn’t affected, he noted that “it takes a while to get your brain to start moving your legs, for them to do what your brain wants to do. You try to walk but it doesn’t come out right.”

Neil has since “learned how to run again.”

“It’s been tough, but I’m back, I’m 90-, 95-percent to where I was before, and it’s going to be great,” he said.

After announcing the delay of their Las Vegas residency in March due to Neil’s medical procedure, Mötley Crüe announced that they could no longer perform at the Boardwalk Rock Festival in Ocean City, Md., on May 17.

The rockers were scheduled to co-headline the festival’s opening day with Def Leppard and had initially announced their Las Vegas residency in October 2024.

In October 2021, Neil also broke several ribs after falling during a performance in Tennessee.

Mötley Crüe’s residency in Las Vegas kicks off tonight.