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Former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra was rushed to the hospital following a stroke. The 67-year-old punk musician suffered a haemorrhagic stroke triggered by high blood pressure on Saturday, March 7th, and recounted the moment he recognised something was amiss, when he lost control of his arms and legs and was unable to prevent himself from falling.

In a statement posted on his record label Alternative Tentacles' Instagram page, he wrote: "I hopped out of my bed because I needed to pee, and my left leg just collapsed under me, and I fell to the floor. I couldn't even break the fall with my left arm because it wasn't working either. I tried to hop back up again, and I couldn't. I realised I had 'fallen, and I can't get up!' It was this point I thought, 'Oh s***, I'm having a stroke!'" He revealed he is now concentrating on recovery, adding: "I still have a lot of great stuff in me, but right now I gotta lotta of rehabbing to do."

Alternative Tentacles reassured fans he is receiving appropriate treatment, writing: "We are all just very thankful he is OK and getting the care that he needs. We will update you all as we are able." Biafra has not taken to the stage with the Dead Kennedys since departing the band in 1986, and friction between him and his former bandmates has persisted. Guitarist East Bay Ray recently spoke about their enduring feud, stating: "It's Biafra that turns down any offers for us to do something; we don't have any problem. He got caught with his hands in the till and wants to blame us for getting caught, but he should never have put his hands in there in the first place."

The disagreement originates from a 1998 lawsuit accusing Biafra of withholding royalties. He lost the case two years later and was instructed to pay overdue royalties and punitive damages.

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He was also obliged to surrender the rights to most of the band's back catalogue, enabling the remaining members to reissue their albums, including a 2022 edition of their debut Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables. Biafra has claimed the reissue was done "intentionally" behind his back.

Biafra has continued to make sporadic live appearances. Last summer, he joined King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard onstage for a rendition of the Dead Kennedys' 1980 track Police Truck at the Field Of Vision festival in Buena Vista, Colorado.