Queen guitarist Brian May reveals heart attack, says he was 'near death'

In this 2012 file image, Queen guitarist Brian May and Jessie J perform "We Will Rock You" at the Olympic Stadium in London, England, during the Closing Ceremony for the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games, Sunday, August 12, 2012. (Chuck Myers/MCT/TNS)
In this 2012 file image, Queen guitarist Brian May and Jessie J perform "We Will Rock You" at the Olympic Stadium in London, England, during the Closing Ceremony for the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games, Sunday, August 12, 2012. (Chuck Myers/MCT/TNS)

Brian May, the shaggy-haired guitarist from Queen, revealed Monday he suffered a heart attack earlier this month that could have killed him.

Now, though, May says he's "goodhereand ready to rock."

Weeks after May announced that he had ripped his buttocks in a gardening accident, he said Monday that he was "still in agony" a week after the incident.

"And I mean real agony," he said in an Instagram video. "I wanted to jump at some point."

The 72-year-old rocker said he had another MRI on his lower spine and doctors found a compressed sciatic nerve that made it feel like "a screwdriver in my back."

But during this treatment, May said he got even more "shocking" news: he had a "small" heart attack, describing it as "40 minutes of pain in the chest."

"Everyone says, 'You've got great blood pressure, great heart rate' and everything, I keep fit on my bike, good diet, not too much fat," he said.

May had three congested arteries but was able to avoid open-heart surgery and a triple bypass. Instead, he had three stents put in.

The guitarist said the only pain he suffered was in his leg, but had been treating it with painkillers until "a couple days ago."

"We've all got to really look at ourselves as we get to the later autumn years," May said. "What seems to be a very healthy heart may not be."

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