Donald Glover, the multi-hyphenate artiste known as Childish Gambino, revealed this weekend that he suffered a stroke in 2024, a serious health crisis that led to the abrupt cancellation of his world tour, per pitchfork.com.
Glover, 42, shared the deeply personal news with the audience at Tyler, the Creator’s annual Camp Flog Gnaw festival in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 22, marking his first Childish Gambino performance since the tour was cut short.
“I had a really bad pain in my head in Louisiana, and I did the show anyway. I couldn’t really see well,” he told the crowd, detailing the moment he first realised something was wrong during a 2024 show in New Orleans.
He immediately cancelled his next performance and went to a hospital in Houston, where he received the stroke diagnosis. Glover admitted his first thought was, “I’m letting everybody down.”
The stroke was not the only health battle the star faced over the past year. Glover also disclosed that he suffered a broken foot and that doctors later discovered a hole in his heart, a condition requiring two separate surgeries.
Reflecting on his recovery and renewed perspective on life, he offered a profound statement to his fans:
“They say everybody has two lives, and the second life starts when you realise you have one. You should be living your life how you want. If we have to do this again, it can only get better.”
Glover’s cancelled dates were part of his world tour in support of his 2024 album, Bando Stone and the New World, which he has stated will be his final album released under the Childish Gambino moniker.
•Featured image: Donald “Childish Gambino” Glover/Katie Flores/Billboard via Getty Images
