ROCK ICON JIMMY BARNES has revealed he will undergo open heart surgery today to treat a bacterial infection that has spread to his heart.
“Unfortunately I got some bad news late yesterday,” Barnes wrote on Instagram. “Despite everyone’s best efforts the bacterial infection I’ve been battling over the past fortnight has apparently now spread to my heart. It’s infected an otherwise healthy valve that was replaced some years ago due to a congenital defect, so I’ll be getting open heart surgery over the next few hours to clear out this infection and put in a clean valve.”
The former Cold Chisel frontman had recently cancelled his scheduled headlining slot at Torquay’s ‘By The C’ festival as well as his remaining gigs for the year as he dealt with the infection.
View this post on Instagram
The 67-year-old said that the operation would “obviously take me out of action for a little while,” which he said was “hugely frustrating” as “just a few weeks ago I was the fittest I’ve been in decades!”
Barnes wrote that this latest health scare happened “very suddenly”, and it would take some time to figure out what will happen with his upcoming shows.
“I’m really sorry for all the inconvenience this will cause but please be patient while my team works hard to figure things out. A new plan will be announced as soon as possible.”
Barnes also thanked his wife Jane for her “around the clock love and care over the last few weeks,” and the doctors and nurses who have been taking care of him.
He ended by warning fans this may be the last direct update they hear from him for a while.
“Given the serious nature of the operation I probably won’t be posting again for the next few weeks so all the best to you and yours for the holidays. Here’s hoping 2024 is full of much better things,” he wrote.
Barnes’ latest health scare comes after he was forced undertake months of bed rest earlier this year following emergency hip surgery.
View this post on Instagram
Related:
Here’s what you need to know about Australia’s vaping ban
