Rick Springfield Suffered Brain Damage From Stage Fall 25 Years Ago — He Just Found Out

The musician thought he had only broken his wrist during the fall in 2000, but a recent full-body MRI scan revealed lingering damage to his brain

At 75 years old, Rick Springfield is still learning new things about himself — like the fact that a fall he suffered 25 years ago is still lingering in the form of brain damage. In a recent interview with Peoplethe musician delved into the results of his recent full-body MRI scan which revealed the lasting impact.

“I fell 25 feet, hit my head, and then wood came down and hit my head, and then my head hit the stage again,” Springfield said. “I thought I had just broken my wrist, but on the scan I found out I have some brain damage from the fall, so I’m working on trying to repair that.”

The fall occurred during one of Springfield’s performances in Las Vegas in 2000. He spent a number of years around that time in the theatrical production EFXwhich was hosted at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.

Earlier this year, Springfield revealed that he recently tried ketamine therapy as a treatment for depression. “I wanted to see if it’d open a few things in my brain,” he told People. He preferred his experience with acid more, but found the most success in managing his alcohol intake, saying: “That has actually helped more than anything.”

Springfield is open to trying whatever works. It’s part of the reason he attempts to stay on top of any medical diagnoses. “My dad died from not wanting to know,” he said. “He thought he had stomach cancer for years and never got it checked out. When he finally collapsed one day at home, they found out it was an ulcer that burst, and he died from the loss of blood. It could have been fixed if he had gotten it checked out.”

He added: “That was a giant message to me: If you want to live long, you have to be prepared for some bad news now and then. I could find out I have terminal cancer tomorrow and be dead in a year, but I can only do all I can do.”