Jimmy Barnes hospitalised after Dunedin concert, postpones Australia shows

The Australian rock star was hospitalised after finishing his New Zealand tour in Dunedin earlier this week, forcing him to cancel upcoming shows once again to prioritise his health.

Less than a year after Jimmy Barnes underwent emergency heart surgery to stop the spread of a dangerous bacterial infection, the musician revealed he’s been hospitalised after experiencing “unbearable” pain following his show in Dunedin on July 31.

The singer had just finished the last concert in his Hell of a Time tour’s New Zealand leg.

He shared a post on Instagram on August 3, which included a selfie of him and his wife Jane Mahoney while he lay in a hospital bed.

Revealing his sudden hospitalisation, he wrote that said that he would be postponing the rest of his Australia shows scheduled throughout August and September after doctors advised he would need to undergo surgery.

“I had a twinge in my hip when I was leaving Dunedin on Thursday morning and by late last night the pain was unbearable so I went off to hospital.

“The doctors have recommended a remedial medical procedure ASAP followed by some physio to address the issue. These doctors don’t muck around! Providing all goes to plan, I’m expected to make a full recovery in six weeks.

Jane and Jimmy have since shared updates, with Jane sharing: "Hi everybody, It’s @jane13barnes here to thank you once again for all your messages of support for our Jimmy. You are an incredible on line community of family, friends and followers who offer up your kindness and thoughtfulness during trying times like these" 

"Jimmy is out of ICU and recovering well. I brought in some healing chicken soup and chocolate chip cookies for afternoon tea, a bit of home always helps hospital days."

"Our kids always around watching over us. Full of Love."

And in a sweet new update, Jimmy's young grandson, Theodore 'Teddy' Darling, has also popped "accross the ditch" to help his grandad recover. 

Barnes’ sudden hospitalisation marks the Working Class Man singer’s second major health scare in the past year, as well as the second operation on his hip since December 2022.

In December 2023, Barnes revealed that he was heading in for emergency open heart surgery after a bacterial pneumonia infection had spread from his lungs to his heart.

After his surgery, the Aussie rock star - who was originally born in Glasgow but moved to Australia at the age of 5 - informed supporters in an Instagram update that the surgery was successful and he was poised to make a full recovery.

Barnes also underwent major surgery on his hip in December 2022, which was done to ease years of chronic pain.

He told fans at the time that after nearly 50 years of “jumping off PAs and stomping around stages”, the problem had “caught up” on him and he needed to do something to fix the “constant and severe pain.”

He has since claimed to have made a full recovery from the surgery.

- Written by the NZ Herald and republished here with edits and permission.