Rick Springfield has opened up about being diagnosed with brain damage.
“If you want to live long, you have to be prepared for some bad news now and then,” Springfield, 75, told People in an interview published on Monday, March 10.
The Grammy award winner recently underwent a full-body MRI, where he learned he was still feeling the effects of an onstage injury in Las Vegas 25 years ago.
“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 explained. “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.”
The “Jessie’s Girl” singer said he’s always wanted to stay on top of his health, since his father died from not properly confronting his own health issues.
“My dad died from not wanting to know,” he recalled. “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.”
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On top of getting a full-body scan, Springfield said he’s cut down on drinking alcohol and experimented with ketamine and LSD treatments for his mental health. Springfield has spoken publicly about battling depression throughout his life.
“I wanted to see if [ketamine would] open a few things in my brain,” he noted. “It was a creative experiment and an experiment on depression. I did it for as long as suggested, and I wasn’t a big fan. It made me feel heavy and machinelike. It didn’t change much in me — although I have been writing a lot, so you never know what kind of effect it has later on. It’s not a black-and-white kind of thing.”
Springfield said that he is now more focused on “microdosing” acid, adding: “I did acid, and that was actually a little better. I hadn’t done that since I was in my 20s, but it was a great high. I don’t mean to push drugs on anyone, but I’m not averse to anything that helps me be happier and a better person. I could use some help in that area. I’m always searching.”
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Springfield is next set to headline the I Want My ’80s Tour throughout the spring and summer across the U.S., where he will be sharing the bill with fellow classic rockers John Waite, Paul Young, Wang Chung and John Cafferty of the Beaver Brown Band.
The Australian-American singer-songwriter started his career as a member of the pop rock group Zoot in 1969, before transitioning to acting for several years. He played heartthrob Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital beginning in 1981, only to leave the soap two years later as his music career took off.
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Springfield first hit No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart in 1981 with “Jessie’s Girl,” which won him a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 1982. He reached the Top 10 four more times throughout the 1980s, including “Don’t Talk to Strangers” hitting No. 2 in 1981.
The musician continued acting in between his headlining tours, even returning to General Hospital for a three-year stint between 2005 and 2008 and again between 2012-2013. He has also had memorable supporting roles in American Horror Story: Cult and True Detective.
