Lucinda Williams had a challenging holiday season. The singer revealed in a new interview with Rolling Stone that she suffered a stroke just days before Thanksgiving 2020, and finally went home shortly before Christmas after weeks in therapy.
The 68-year-old singer told the publication that she was preparing for a shower when she started having balance issues and was unable to walk. She was taken to a hospital via ambulance, where physicians found a blood clot in her brain.
Williams says she is expected to make a full recovery, though she’s still in therapy to undo the damage from the stroke.
“What happens is your brain gets all … the wires get all crossed and you have to retrain your brain, basically, to tell your arm to do whatever it is you’re trying to do,” Williams shared, also telling the magazine that she is unable to play the guitar, and has been walking with a cane. “So that’s the biggest challenge.”
As for why she’s speaking out about it publicly now, the three-time Grammy winner shared that she didn’t want to turn it into a huge thing in the immediate aftermath of her stroke. “I thought about going to Facebook, but I didn’t want to make it a big, alarming thing,” she shared with Rolling Stone. “I didn’t want people to overreact. … I kind of felt like going off the grid a little bit.”
Now, after months of therapy, Williams says she’s ready to get back on stage. “I feel good and positive about playing again,” shared the singer, who is slated to hit the road with Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit in July and August. “I don’t know if I’ll stand up and sing or I’ll sit down like an old blues person. But we’ll figure it out.”
And while she may still be working on recovering, the artist says fans don’t have to worry about her voice. “The main thing is I can still sing. I’m singing my a– off, so that hasn’t been affected,” she assured. “Can’t keep me down for too long.”
Williams has something else worth celebrating. Her release Runnin’ Down a Dream: A Tribute to Tom Petty debuted at No. 12 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Albums, and No. 21 on the Top Album Sales charts on the sets dated May 1.
