Eight months after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous mass, Heart frontwoman Ann Wilson has revealed that she broke her elbow in three places after a bad fall.
Wilson, 74, shared the health update on a recent episode of her new podcast, “After Dinner Thinks.”
Speaking to her co-host, Criss Cain, the rock singer explained that the injury has forced her to perform in a wheelchair during the North American leg of her Royal Flush Tour, which resumed on Feb. 28 in Las Vegas.
“I’m nice and clear now,” she continued. “It’s not about cancer, it’s about me being a klutz and missing a step and falling into a parking lot.”
The incident occurred just five days before Wilson and her band embarked on their tour, which was delayed last year. The singer said her elbow was “pinned back together with screws,” adding that being unable to use her left arm has greatly affected her balance.
“Singing onstage, I really think that the pain level is still way too high for me to take it out of the sling,” she explained.
Cancer Battle
Wilson experienced a series of health problems last year.While on stage in April 2024, Wilson told concertgoers that she had undergone knee replacement surgery about three months earlier.
A few months later, Wilson revealed that she had recently undergone surgery to remove a cancerous tumor.
Wilson did not disclose what type of cancer she had been diagnosed with. However, she said her band would have to postpone the remainder of its North American Royal Flush Tour.
“My doctors are instructing me to take the rest of the year away from the stage in order to fully recover,” she noted.
“To the ticket buyers, I really do wish we could do these gigs. Please know that I absolutely plan to be back on stage in 2025. ... Thank you all for the support. This is merely a pause. I’ve much more to sing.”
In September of last year, Wilson announced that she had completed her cancer treatment, sharing that she was doing “absolutely fine now.”
Wilson said the two-week wait for test results at the end of her treatment felt like “mental torture” and empathized with anyone who had gone through a similar struggle.
“Luckily, for me, when the results finally came, they were the good kind! And so I’m excited to share with you that I’m now finished with chemo and I’m officially ready to get ready for the tour in 2025!” she said.
‘Soul-Bending Sacrifice’
Heart released its debut album, “Dreamboat Annie,” featuring the hit tracks “Magic Man” and “Crazy on You,” in September 1975.The Grammy-nominated rock group has put out more than a dozen albums in its 50-year career. These include “Little Queen” (1977), “Dog & Butterfly” (1978), “Heart” (1985), “Bad Animals” (1987), “Brigade” (1990), “Jupiter’s Darling” (2004), and “Fanatic” (2012).
The “Barracuda” singer’s sister, Nancy Wilson, 70, plays guitar and provides backup vocals in the band, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2013.
“We appreciate being honored after four decades of committed, soul-bending sacrifice and work,” her younger sister added. “It feels nothing but good.”
In 2016, Heart released its 16th studio album, “Beautiful Broken,” which primarily features re-interpretations of some of the group’s classic songs, including “City’s Burning” from the 1982 album “Private Audition” and “Johnny Moon” from the 1983 album “Passionworks.”
