- Steven Tyler suffered a vocal cord injury during one of Aerosmith’s recent concerts.
- The singer has dealt with vocal cord issues beginning in the mid-aughts.
- Aerosmith announced that they’d postpone dates on their farewell tour as a result of Steven’s injury.
Steven Tyler has one of the most distinctive voices in the history of rock music. Unfortunately, the singer sustained a vocal cord injury while his band Aerosmith was in the midst of their “Peace Out” farewell tour. The band announced that they’d need to postpone a handful of dates while their frontman rests up in a statement on Monday, Sep. 11. Through the years, the “Dream On” rocker has faced a handful of vocal and other health issues. Find out more about his vocal cord injury here.
Steven Tyler Diagnosed With a Vocal Cord Injury
The Aerosmith vocalist admitted to damaging his vocal cords during a performance in Long Island, New York on Sep. 10. “I’m heartbroken to say I have received strict doctor’s orders not to sing for the next thirty days. I sustained vocal cord damage during Saturday’s show that led to subsequent bleeding,” he said in a statement.
Aside from his recent vocal injury, Steven has been open about a few other health struggles over the years. He revealed that he was diagnosed with hepatitis C in a 2006 interview, per Billboard. “I’ve had hepatitis C for a long time, asymptomatic. And I talked to my doctor,” he told Access Hollywood. “He said now is the time and it’s 11 months of chemotherapy. So I went on that and it about killed me.”
While Steven said he had been diagnosed in 2003, at the time, he had said that his treatment had worked very well. “It is nonexistent in my bloodstream as we speak, so it’s one of those few miracles in doctoring where it’s like a complete cure. It’s gone,” he said.
What Is a Vocal Cord Injury?
There are a variety of issues that singers may face regarding their vocal cords. While Steven didn’t specify the specific diagnosis he received, his mention that he was bleeding indicates that he may have suffered a vocal cord hemorrhage. Vocal cord hemorrhages may occur in people who have had long bouts of speaking loudly, cheering, or a musical performance, per UCI Head and Neck. They are also more common with people who have laryngitis and people with polyps. Vocal rest is usually the treatment for such conditions.
How Long Has Steven Tyler Been Sick?
While Steven’s most recent injury occurred only days ago, the singer has had a few vocal issues over the years. During a 2006 concert, he had a blood vessel rupture in the middle of a performance. Steven recounted the incident and subsequent surgery during an interview on Today. “I blew it out,” he said. “I couldn’t sing. I couldn’t speak.”
Steven underwent surgery, saying he had laser treatment to try to improve his vocal cords, making sure he could keep singing. Dr. Steven Zeitels revealed that over the course of a concert, his vocal cords collided over 780,000 times.
The “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” rocker has had to cancel concerts for other medical issues in the past. In 2017, Steven announced that he’d need to cancel a run of South American dates due to “unexpected medical issues.” While he didn’t detail if he had vocal cord problems, he did assure fans that he’d be okay. “I am not in a life-threatening condition, but I need to deal with this right away and get some rest and medical care immediately in order to sustain and maintain my future performances,” he wrote.
How Is Steven Tyler Doing Today?
While it sounds like Steven will be back on stage in no time, he did tell fans that he was sad to have to postpone the shows. “We’ll need to postpone a few dates so that we can come back and give you the performance you deserve,” he said.