Australian rocker Jimmy Barnes was hit with yet another medical blow on Tuesday, following three separate surgeries in the past year and a half.
The Cold Chisel frontman, 68, has been in and out of hospital since late 2023, receiving two hip operations and open heart surgery.
Now, the musician has received yet another operation on his hip just six months after he was forced to get urgent ‘remedial’ hip surgery in August last year.
In a video shared to Instagram this week, Jimmy could be seen using a walking frame to aid him as he hobbled down a hallway in the hospital just 24 hours after surgery.
Garbed in a patient gown, Jimmy appeared to be in good spirits as he took a stroll through the building wearing compression socks and foot pumps.
‘I’m walking, day one. Woohoo! I’ll be jogging by tomorrow. Dancing by Friday,’ he joked.
Australian rocker Jimmy Barnes, 68, was hit with yet another medical blow on Tuesday, following three separate surgeries in the past year and a half
His wife Jane shared the video to her social media page with the caption: ‘The physiotherapists get you up in the first 24 hours after hip surgery.
‘I am seriously in awe of all that has happened. Happy to stick with the dietary healing side of things.’
She went on to share an image of a ‘protein shake’ she made for her love, which included frozen lemon yoghurt, blueberries, banana, protein powder, milk and honey.
On Monday, Jane shared another photo of Jimmy smiling as he ate her homemade bone broth and chicken soup while lying in his hospital bed.
‘Relieved to let you know that our Jimmy has had his hip op. Surgeons are happy and no ICU, so we’re off to a good start,’ she said at the time.
‘No turntable allowed yet but good home cooking was on the menu. Bone broth and chicken soup with our organic potatoes and spinach for iron.
‘Jimmy says thank you for all the well wishes.’
It’s unclear if the hip operation was related to complications from Jimmy’s returning staph infection or prior hip replacement.
The musician has received yet another operation on his hip just six months after he was forced to get urgent ‘remedial’ hip surgery in August last year
Jimmy has declined to comment further on the hip surgery.
It comes after he was forced to cancel two months’ worth of gigs in August after noticing an ache in his side while performing in New Zealand, which led to an urgent ‘remedial’ hip operation.
He previously underwent open-heart surgery to fend off a staph infection, which then returned and attacked his hip, leading to surgery and a six-week recovery.
The rock star made a triumphant return to stage in October after his health struggles as he performed with his band Cold Chisel at The Entertainment Quarter.
The Cold Chisel 50th anniversary tour, dubbed The Big Five-0, sold over 150,000 tickets across 16 shows, making it one of the most highly-anticipated Aussie tours of the year.
His return to stage came just weeks after was forced to postpone two months worth of shows as he recovered from an urgent ‘remedial’ hip operation.
In a heartfelt message on Facebook at the time, Jimmy explained the unexpected need for surgery at the time and apologised to fans for the postponements.
‘I had a twinge in my hip when I was leaving Dunedin, and by the evening the pain was unbearable. The doctors are moving fast, but I’m expected to make a full recovery in six weeks,’ he shared.
His wife Jane shared the video to Instagram which showed Jimmy attempting to walk just 24 hours after his hip surgery
Fans offered overwhelming support, and the rocker assured them that his postponed shows, which included dates in Wyong, Toowoomba, Thirroul, and Sydney, would be rescheduled.
To aid his recovery from home, he had a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) tube fitted into a vein in his arm to deliver medication to the larger blood vessels around his heart.
At the end of September, Jimmy took to Instagram to celebrate the PICC line being removed after a difficult six-week recovery.
‘It’s meant that I could leave hospital and continue most of my recovery at home,’ he said. ‘It’s been restricting and liberating at the same time.
‘This part of my recovery is now over and with the help of [doctors], nurses, physiotherapists, family, friends, you guys and my Jane, everything is on track.’
The unexpected hip pain stemmed from a stubborn bacterial infection which previously attacked his heart and saw him undergo open-heart surgery.
Previously reflecting on the scary time, he admitted he told his wife Jane that he didn’t think he was going to make it while lying in Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital.
‘I just had this horrible morbid feeling because I’ve never felt this sick before. I thought I was gone,’ he told 60 Minutes last year.
Just hours before checking into hospital, an unwell Jimmy had taken to the stage at a memorial concert for his late friend and promoter, Michael Gudinski.
He told how he was so unwell he could barely remember the show and said he was sweating and had a fever backstage.
He was scheduled to fly abroad for another concert but instead went to the hospital as his health deteriorated.
A team of specialists then found his body was shutting down because an infection in his blood was causing endocarditis—a life-threatening inflammation of the heart.
By the time he was wheeled into the operating theatre for open heart surgery, his doctors said he had just hours to live.
In a marathon seven-hour surgery, the physicians successfully replaced his damaged valves and repaired his heart.
