Anthony Kiedis On His Health Scare: ‘I’m On The Mend’

Anthony Kiedis is talking about his recent health problems and hospitalization in an exclusive interview with ET Canada.

The 53-year-old Red Hot Chili Peppers rocker was forced to cancel an appearance earlier this month after he was rushed to the hospital minutes before the band was scheduled to take the stage at a California concert.

“It was a painful and sad thing to have to cancel shows, we don’t really do that. I’d rather play deathly ill than not at all but in this particular instance I was starting to go down to the ground,” the singer says in his first sit-down interview since being released from the hospital. “I got some help and now I’ve got to figure things out.”

Now, the “Under The Bridge” singer is on the mend. “I feel good, not great, but good,” he says. “I think I had to get sick to take a look at myself and get to the causes and conditions of my overall health.”

In a year that has seen the death rock icons David Bowie and Prince, the news of Kiedis’ hospitalization sent a wave of alarm through music fans. After suffering extreme stomach pains during the day, Kiedis was diagnosed with an intestinal flu at the hospital.

“I had inflammation in my guts,” he tells ET Canada. Kiedis says that combined with a recent virus and existing scar tissue from hernia operations, the inflammation led to complications. “That becomes an incredibly painful situation where you get a fever and pass out.” Kiedis says he’s now on the road to recovery. “Lo and behold, I’m on the mend.”

Having gone through this experience, the singer says he’s reevaluating some of his lifestyle choices. “I push pretty hard sometimes and I do take my health for granted on a certain level because I feel strong and capable. I surf most days and I like to charge, but every now and then, the body is like “you’re doing something wrong, either fix it or we’re gonna let you know about it,’and I think that my body let me know that I had to change my ways a little bit.”

The band posted a note on their website thanking fans for the “outpouring of well wishes,” following Kiedis’ hospitalization. With their 11th album – “The Getaway” – slated for release on June 17, the band is gearing up for a summer of touring.