Rocker/Reality Star Bret Michaels has Brain Hemorrhage

[Bina]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rocker-turned-reality star Bret Michaels has suffered a brain hemorrhage and is in critical condition in hospital, his representatives confirmed on Friday.

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A spokeswoman for Michaels confirmed a report by People magazine that the 47-year-old musician was rushed to hospital overnight with an excruciating headache.


Doctors diagnosed a massive subarachnoid hemorrhage, or bleeding at the base of his brain stem. The location of the hospital was not disclosed.


"(It) will be touch and go for the next few days while he is under intense observation," the source told People.


The rock singer's spokeswoman said there would be no more information given until he has additional tests.


Michaels rose to fame in the 1980s at the helm of Poison, a glam-rock band whose hits included the ballad "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."


He was diagnosed with diabetes as a child and just last week disclosed he had an emergency appendectomy earlier this month. In a blog entry, he called it a "wake-up call to be a little bit more diligent on keeping control of my health."


In recent years, Michaels found fame as a reality TV star in such shows as VH1's dating contest "Rock of Love" and on the current season of "The Celebrity Apprentice."


His latest album "Custom Built" is due to be released later this year and he recently recorded a song with Disney starlet Miley Cyrus.


On "The Celebrity Apprentice," which was filmed several months ago but is about halfway through its broadcast run on NBC, Michaels has raised $100,000 for his charity, the American Diabetes Association, and is a strong contender to win.


(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Jill Serjeant and John O'Callaghan)

 

[nngbwh]

That is sad.. Thanks for the info Bina.

 

[mainframe]

Hope he pulls though. I'm embarrassed to admit having watched Rock of Love. He seemed like a decent guy.

 

[Ross]

Too much head banging or is it the standard, "It's Coumadins fault" thing?

 

[Luana]

I like him on The Celebrity Apprentice. Every commercial last night for the 11 o'clock news here had a blurb about him. Hope he comes through ok.
Luana

 

[COLLEEN S]

Oh he's a good guy...a keeper....and he's from the burgh (Pittsburgh, as am I). So sorry to hear that he had this condition. It is really another name for a stroke.

 

[Bina]

Reported Thursday, May 20th.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rock singer Bret Michaels suffered a mini-stroke this week and tests showed he has a hole in his heart, the Poison frontman's official website said on Thursday.

Michaels, who survived a potentially fatal brain hemorrhage in April, was readmitted to the hospital after experiencing numbness on the left side of his body.


Doctors said he had suffered a transient ischemic attack, known as a warning or mini-stroke, and they later found he had a hole in his heart. They said it was "highly unlikely that the problems were related to the brain hemorrhage," according to a statement on website BretMichaels.com.


They said the heart condition was operable, but that for now he would receive blood thinners and outpatient treatment.


It was not immediately clear when the singer and "Celebrity Apprentice" TV contestant fell ill.


He gave a TV interview to the "Oprah Winfrey Show" that was broadcast on Wednesday. The interview was taped a week ago, his publicist said.


Michaels' neurosurgeon, Dr. Joseph Zabramski, said the singer, who plans to play a comeback music gig on May 28, was determined to make a quick recovery.


"Medically speaking it is a fantastic attitude both mentally and physically for him to have," Zabramski said. "However, Bret's brain and body are not quite 100 percent yet, especially with the hole found in his heart."


Michaels told Winfrey he was still getting headaches but felt lucky to be alive. The glam rock singer also suffers from diabetes and underwent an emergency appendectomy two weeks before suffering a brain hemorrhage on April 25.


He had said he hopes to take part in the May 23 live finale of "The Celebrity Apprentice", where he is in the running to win the competition. Most of the NBC TV show was shot before Michaels' string of medical emergencies.


Michaels' manager Janna Elias described the singer as "up, walking, talking, continuing his daily rehab and very happy to be alive. But he has made it clear he is sick and tired of being in the hospital and is ready to rock again."


(Reporting by Jill Serjeant: Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis)

 

[ottagal]

He certainly has had his share of health issues this past while. I sincerely hope that there are no more glitches for him and that he can continue on the road to recovery. I wonder if he will end up undergoing heart surgery to fix the hole in his heart?