The Monkees’ Michael Nesmith was de-toured by a quadruple bypass surgery recently but the singer, songwriter, and guitarist
told Rolling Stone this week that he is “back to 80 percent.”
Nesmith first started feeling a bit off during a tour with fellow band mate Micky Dolenz of The Monkees in June.
According to a media release, it was to be the duo’s first-ever national tour, with 16 state-wide performances scheduled to take place as part of the "Monkees Present: The Mike & Micky Show" tour.
However, after a performance in Philadelphia on June 21, tour organizers announced that the rest of the tour dates had been postponed due to an unspecified illness that Nesmith had suffered, The Orlando Sentinel noted.
At the time, TMZ reported that the 75-year-old rock icon collapsed during the band’s sound check and had to be rushed to hospital.
No further news was reported, but Nesmith broke his silence in an interview with Rolling Stone, explaining that he had not collapsed but had experienced severe shortness of breath that prompted him to seek medical treatment at a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.
He flew back to his hometown of Carmel, California, where he met with his cardiologist who scheduled him for quadruple bypass surgery.
The tour organizer, Andrew Sandoval, took to social media Thursday to speak about the ordeal.
“The last month has been utter hell seeing my friend suffering,” he posted to Facebook. “So many people were demanding answers, but it was simply a time for healing and privacy.”
Sandoval noted that the information age “has caused too many to be pushy and inconsiderate,” but added that he was thrilled to hear the happiness in Nesmith’s voice “and the eagerness to play his beautiful songs for the people.”
Nesmith’s son, Christian Nesmith, said that four weeks after the surgery, his dad was “healthier, more energetic, and clearer than when he went in.”
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