Joni Mitchell is ‘still struggling’ to walk after aneurysm

The singer is able to speak again following the health scare in 2015

Joni Mitchell attends the 35th annual NAMM TEC Awards on 18 January 2020 in Anaheim, California (Jesse Grant/Getty Images for NAMM)

Joni Mitchell says she still struggles to walk after suffering an aneurysm in 2015.

The singer told The Guardian that she has been focusing on her recovery after the health scare.

“I haven’t been writing recently. I haven’t been playing my guitar or the piano or anything. No, I’m just concentrating on getting my health back,”  she said.

“You know what? I came back from polio [as a child], so here I am again, and struggling back.”

Mitchell described herself as “showing slow improvement but moving forward”, explaining that the aneurysm left her unable to talk as well as walk. 

“I got my speech back quickly, but the walking I’m still struggling with. But I mean, I’m a fighter. I’ve got Irish blood!” she added.

The singer was found unconscious at her home back in March 2015 and was taken to a hospital in Los Angeles. 

An update shared on her website in June of that year confirmed that Mitchell had suffered an aneurysm and stated: “The truth is that Joni is speaking, and she's speaking well. She is not walking yet, but she will be in the near future as she is undergoing daily therapies. She is resting comfortably in her own home and she's getting better each day.”

Mitchell is releasing a compilation titled Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963–1967) this 30 October.