Inside Bret Michaels’ health issues as musician cancels 2026 shows after ‘complicated surgery’

Bret Michaels announced he will be off the stage until 2027. The 63-year-old rockstar performed in Sugar Hill, Georgia on Friday, August 21, but announced a day later that he would be postponing the rest of his shows in 2026.

“Following Bret Michaels’ comeback show at The Bowl at Sugar Hill, doctors and paramedics determined immediately after the show that he still needs additional rest and recovery from his recent surgeries,” the musician’s company, Michaels Entertainment Group, said in a statement shared on Facebook on Saturday, August 22.

Bret was set to perform at the Mountain Music Festival on Saturday, August 22, but instead “Will be taking the next several months off to heal and get back to 100%,” per the statement.

The Poison frontman first postponed shows at the end of July after a complicated surgery to remove a kidney stone. He took three to four weeks off, returning in August, but needs more rest.

After his surgery, Bret shared his gratitude for the doctors who cared for him, saying: “I’m forever grateful for the amazing medical treatment and ongoing medical attention throughout my personal life and career, and truly grateful for family, friends, fans, band, crew and promoters for their understanding and, if all goes well, will hit the road late August back to delivering 1000% energy, intensity and truly nothing but a good time.”

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Inside Bret Michaels’ health issues

Bret’s recovery from his surgery to remove his kidney stone was complicated by his Type 1 diabetes diagnosis. When the rockstar was just six years old, he was diagnosed with the disease following a three-week stay in the hospital.

“I was almost at ketoacidosis, which is when the organs shut down,” he told People in April 2023 about his childhood stint in the hospital. “It was the first time I’d ever seen my father cry.”

As a kid, Bret was in and out of the hospital often. “It was scary,” he remembered. “But my parents told me, ‘You’ve got to choose not to be a victim.'”

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His journey with Type 1 diabetes continued as he started performing with Poison. In 1984, while Bret and the band were performing at Madison Square Garden, he collapsed onstage after going into insulin shock. 

“I woke up in the emergency room,” Bret explained. “Everyone was positive that I was a heroin addict. Rather than be embarrassed, I told the truth. That was the first time I told the world that I was a diabetic.”

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His health issues didn’t end there. 10 years later, after racing friends in his Ferrari, Bret crashed into a telephone pole, breaking his nose and several ribs. And after performing at the 2009 Tony Awards, Bret was struck in the head by a part of the set, which led to him experiencing a near-fatal brain hemorrhage and a stroke in 2009.

“It’s been a crazy roller-coaster ride,” Bret said. “After all the adversity I’ve been through, I just feel grateful to be here. If I were to go today — and I hope I don’t! — I would die with a full heart.”