Queen lead guitarist Brian May is on the road to recovery after suffering a “mini stroke” last week, temporarily losing control of his arm.

In a video on his website, the 77-year-old says he was taken to hospital after experiencing symptoms of a stroke, but is on the mend thanks to the help of his care team.

“The good news is that I can play the guitar after the events of the last few days, and I say that because I wasn’t entirely sure about that little health issue that I mentioned that happened about a week ago and what they called a mini stroke,” he says. “And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I had no control of that arm. So it was a little scary, I have to say, I’ve had the most fantastic care and attention from the hospital that I was at. Blue lights flashing, the whole thing, very exciting. I can post a video if you want.”

May went on to explain that he had been told to take it easy in order to fully recover from the health crisis. “I didn’t want to say anything at the time because I didn’t want to hear anything. I really don’t want any pity, please don’t do that because it will clutter up my inbox and I hate that,” he explained. “So the good news is I’m OK, I’m just doing what I’m told, which is basically nothing. I’m on the ground. I’m not allowed to go outside. Well, I’m not allowed to drive, I’m not allowed to get on a plane, I’m not allowed to get my heart rate up too high. I’m not allowed to have planes flying over, which is stressful. But I’m OK.”

The guitarist has had a few health-related incidents in recent years. In 2020, he was hospitalized after injuring his gluteus maximus in a gardening incident, and less than a month later, he suffered a heart attack that he called a “near-death experience.”

May formed Queen with late lead singer Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor, and contributed to iconic songs such as “We Will Rock You” and “The Show Must Go On.” In 2022, the group released The Miracle box set, an expanded eight-CD reissue of the 1989 album featuring previously unreleased tracks.