Former Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra has been rushed to hospital after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke.
In an Instagram statement shared on Monday, Biafra’s record label, Alternative Tentacle, said the stroke was “caused by high blood pressure.”
Biafra, 67, detailed his health crisis in his statement.
“I jumped out of bed to pee and my left foot got stuck under me and I fell to the floor,” the musician said. “I couldn’t even stop myself from falling because my left arm wasn’t working either. I tried to jump up again and get up, but I couldn’t. I realized, ‘I’ve fallen and I can’t get back up.’
Biafra continued: “At this point I thought, oh, I’ve had a stroke.”
The singer added, “I still have a lot of great things inside me, but I have to do a lot of rehabilitation right now.”
The record company announced that Biafra is “currently hospitalized, but his condition is stable.”
“On behalf of the Alternative Tentacles family, we are all so grateful that he is safe and receiving the care he needs,” the company added. “We will keep you updated as much as possible.”
Biafra was the original lead singer of the Dead Kennedys from their formation in 1978 until their disbandment in 1986.
The group released four albums under Biafra’s leadership: Rotten Vegetables and Fresh Fruit (1980), Orthopedic Disaster (1982), Frankencrist (1985), and Bedtime for Democracy (1986).
The Dead Kennedys reunited in 2001, but without Biafra.
Three years ago, Biafra were sued by former bandmates Eastbay Ray, Klaus Fluoride and DH Peligro (who died in 2022) over alleged unpaid royalties.
According to NME, Biafra lost a legal battle after a California court found them guilty of “malice, oppression and fraud” and were ordered to pay unpaid royalties and punitive damages to former band members.
In a 2025 interview with Guitar World, East Bay Ray explained that the band has no plans to reunite with Biafra after the legal drama.
“It doesn’t matter to me or to Klaus,” he said. “It is Biafra who refuses offers to do something to us. We have no problem with it.”
The guitarist continued, “He got caught with his hand in the cash register and he wants to blame us for getting caught, but he shouldn’t have put his hand in the cash register in the first place.”
