Brian May has been left in "relentless" pain after damaging his butt while gardening.
The Queen rocker paid a visit to hospital and was ordered to stay off his feet to recover after tearing his gluteus maximus – the main muscle of the hip that forms the buttocks – "to shreds" while pushing himself too hard at home.
Sharing a photo on Instagram in which his face was partially-covered with a mask, he wrote: "Reality check ! For me. No – the Virus didn’t get me yet – thank God. Hope you’re all keeping extra-safe out there.
"A decision to relax controls doesn’t suddenly make the danger go away.
"But me ?? Yes, I’ve been quiet. Reason ? As well as getting over-stretched and harassed by too many demands … I managed to rip my Gluteus Maximus to shreds in a moment of over-enthusiastic gardening.
"So suddenly I find myself in a hospital getting scanned to find out exactly how much I’ve actually damaged myself.
"Turns out I did a thorough job – this is a couple of days ago – and I won’t be able to walk for a while … or sleep, without a lot of assistance, because the pain is relentless.(sic)"
The 72-year-old musician told fans he was going to "go dark" from social media and take a "complete" break at home.
He said: "So, folks … I need to go dark for a while, getting some complete rest, at home. Please, please don’t send me sympathy – I just need some healing silence for a while. I’ll be back – but I need the complete break. OK ? Thanks. Take care out there. Bri (sic)"
Despite his pledge to take a break, at the time of writing, Brian has since shared three additional Instagram posts.
Brian May in ‘relentless pain’
