Grammy award-winning musician Rick Springfield recently discovered he is suffering from lingering brain damage as a result of a fall 25 years ago.
The “Jessie’s Girl” singer told the outlet that the scan showed the lasting effects of his fall during a Las Vegas performance in 2000.
“I fell 25 feet, hit my head and then wood came down and hit my head, and then my head hit the stage again,” he recalled.
“I thought I had just broken my wrist, but on the scan I found out I have some brain damage from the fall, so I’m working on trying to repair that.”
Springfield felt compelled to get the scan after seeing firsthand with his father the toll that ignoring your health can take on the body.
“My dad died from not wanting to know,” he said. “He thought he had stomach cancer for years and never got it checked out. When he finally collapsed one day at home, they found out it was an ulcer that burst, and he died from the loss of blood. It could have been fixed if he had gotten it checked out.”
The experience left a lasting impact and over the years has led the Australian native to be more health-driven.
He exercises every day, altered his diet, and for the past two years cut down on alcohol consumption, which helped with his mental health and depression he’s battled since a teenager.
Springfield, who turns 76 in August, still feels as if he’s in his 20s, but when it comes to thinking about death, he’s learned to embrace the thought and what life has in store.
“It’s not a death wish by any stretch,” he said. “But it’s important to be aware of it. I think I have a better handle on dying than I used to.”
Springfield rose to fame from both singing and acting, best known musically for his No. 1 hit “Jessie’s Girl” in 1981 and four more top 10 U.S. hits, “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “Affair of the Heart,” “I’ve Done Everything for You,” and “Love Somebody.”
As an actor, he first starred in the film “Hard to Hold” in 1984, and landed roles on popular television shows including “The Rockford Files,” “The Young and the Restless” and “General Hospital.”
