MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx has opened up about vocalist Vince Neil’s recovery journey following the stroke the singer suffered in late 2024, admitting the experience gave the band a much deeper understanding of the seriousness of the condition.
Speaking in a new interview with USA Today, Sixx reflected on the emotional toll the health scare had on Neil, particularly the uncertainty surrounding his ability to perform again.
“I can’t imagine what Vince went through, and to not know if I could ever do what I love again. And I think that freaked him out the hardest,” Nikki said.
Sixx also admitted that before Neil’s diagnosis, he did not fully understand how severe strokes could be.
“I didn’t know, really, anything about a stroke,” Sixx continued. “I thought a stroke was something else, and when it happened to one of us, the family, and then you start learning more about it, you’re like: ‘My God.’”
“It might even be good for fans to hear that and if there’s any cautionary stuff you have to do.”
Neil’s health battle ultimately forced MÖTLEY CRÜE to postpone its planned residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas. The shows, originally scheduled to run from March 28 through April 19, 2025, were moved to September 2025 after the band announced that the singer required a “medical procedure.” The group also canceled its appearance at Maryland’s Boardwalk Rock festival in May 2025.
Months later, during an appearance on Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, Neil revealed the frightening details of the stroke, explaining that it struck on Christmas night 2024.
“It was Christmas night, and I went to sleep. I woke up and I couldn’t get out of bed,” he shared. “I’m, like, ‘What’s going on?’ And my left leg wouldn’t work, and my left arm wouldn’t work. So I had to get help out of bed. I couldn’t push myself up to get myself comfortable in bed. And I had to have help. And slowly but surely, the sensation came back in my legs. And I had to learn to walk again. I went from a wheelchair to a walker to a cane to — I can walk now, but for five months it was just off and on, not knowing what’s gonna happen. And the doctor said that I probably wouldn’t be on stage again. And 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. And 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. It was really sad, but it’s really worth it now, ’cause I can get on stage and sing and all that good stuff.”
When discussing the cause of his stroke, Vince added: “Well, they said that I had a blood clot in my leg that ran up through to my brain. And they showed me — I had a neurologist come out and they took x-rays and stuff, and you see I had scars in my brain. [And they said], ‘See that’s where you had a stroke.’”
Doctors later confirmed that Neil had actually endured four strokes over the years, two of which he didn’t even realize at the time.
“Well, they said that I had a blood clot in my leg that ran up through to my brain,” he said. “And they showed me — I had a neurologist come out and they took x-rays and stuff, and you see I had scars in my brain. [And they said], ‘See that’s where you had a stroke.’”
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