Punk rocker said he suffered a hemorrhagic stroke due to high blood pressure
Former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra was rushed to the hospital over the weekend after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke, causing the left side of his body to go completely numb.
The outspoken 67-year-old punk rocker reassured fans that he’s in stable condition and recovering in the hospital. “I still have a lot of great stuff in me, but right now I gotta lotta of rehabbing to do,” Biafra said in an Instagram post shared Monday night.
Biafra — born Eric Boucher — said the stroke was caused by high blood pressure and occurred when he tried getting out of bed on Saturday night. “My left leg just collapsed under me and I fell to the floor,” Biafra said. “I couldn’t even break the fall with my left arm because it wasn’t working either. I tried to hop back up again, and I couldn’t.”
Showing his characteristic humor despite his circumstances, he added, “I realized I had ‘fallen and I can’t get up!”, a reference to the infamous television commercials for the medical device Life Alert.
Sharing the news through Biafra’s independent label Alternative Tentacles, the label said they’d continue to share updates on Biafra’s progress. “Speaking for the Alternative Tentacles family, we are all just very thankful he is okay and getting the care that he needs,” the post concluded.
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Biafra served as the lead singer and co-founder of the San Francisco punk band Dead Kennedys from 1978 until the band split in 1986. The group reunited sans Biafra in 2001.
Last month, Biafra criticized the current iteration of the band for being willing to perform at this year’s Punk in the Park festival despite owner Cameron Collins’ contributions to Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. “The real Dead Kennedys would never have let this happen in the first place,” Biafra told Stereogum. “One more sordid reason I don’t ever want to play with them again.” (Organizers have since canceled the festival.)