Paul Rodgers Suffered More Than a Dozen Strokes in Recent Years

Paul Rodgers just released his new album Midnight Rose, and it turns out its release is kind of a miracle.

The iconic singer shared in a new interview with CBS Mornings that he suffered 13 strokes in recent years. Two of those strokes were major, while 11 of them were considered minor in comparison. The first major stroke happened in 2016, while the second happened in 2019.

These strokes left Rodgers unable to sing or speak properly and eventually led Rodgers into surgery. The surgery Rodgers had was an endarterectomy, which removed plaque that was clogging a carotid artery.

Rodgers said of the surgery, "They told me, they're very clear, 'You may not come out of this alive.' And I said, 'Oh, well, that's a plus, isn't it?' And when I woke up, I opened my eyes, I thought, 'Oh, I'm still here.'"

Following surgery, his recovery was slow. It took Rodgers six months to begin singing and playing guitar again.

Cynthia Kereluk Rodgers joined her husband during the interview. When asked what it was like to hear him sing again, she got visibly emotional. She said, "I didn't think that would ever happen, and I had heard him singing around the house, and it wasn't what it was." Rodgers playfully interjected, "Now you tell me!"

Fans looking to snag a physical copy of Midnight Rose can do so at PaulRodgers.com. The album is available for streaming and download via Sun Records.

The 1970s was truly a wild decade for rock and roll which saw some of the biggest rock artists ever emerge.

From arena-ready bands to punk icons to New Wave legends, here are 15 debut albums of the '70s everyone should own.