Courtney Love Reveals Near-Fatal 2019 Health Crisis

Courtney Love has opened up about a previously undisclosed medical crisis that nearly claimed her life seven years ago, revealing the harrowing experience while providing fans with an update on her forthcoming album.

The 62-year-old musician shared details of the health emergency in an Instagram video posted on Friday, August 14, describing how her body deteriorated during a 2019 trip to England. The Hole frontwoman disclosed that medical professionals informed her she was facing death, though she ultimately defied their prognosis.

"I went to England in 2019, and when I went there, you know, my body just exploded. It just exploded, and I was in hospitals a lot. I almost died. I lost all my hair. I was about 100 pounds, and they told me I was going to die, and I didn't believe them," Love said in the video, according to Us Weekly.

The rock musician connected her refusal to accept the dire medical assessment to patterns established during her childhood, explaining how she learned to question authority figures who presented contradictory information. Love described a psychological phenomenon from her youth where adults would tell her one thing while reality showed her another, creating confusion that she learned to navigate by trusting her own perception.

"When I was a kid — I think this record is about this — I used to like, pattern-interrupt the adults, and they'd tell me 'red.' They'd say 'red was blue,' and then I'd see blue, but blue was blue," Love told Us Weekly. "So now that I gaslight myself that maybe, maybe they were right and red was blue, and then I would see purple, and my head would explode. Like f**king cope with that sh*t, right? I think some of you can relate to that. And then, anyway, I never really lost my ability to see that f**king that 'red was red,' despite them telling me that 'red was blue.'"

That same instinct to trust her own judgment, Love suggested, played a role in her recovery. "And so when they said you're gonna die, I just didn't believe them. And somehow I got better. I'm healthy, which is amazing," she said, according to Us Weekly.

Love chose to keep the medical crisis private while it was occurring and did not specify the underlying cause of her health complications in the recent disclosure. She noted that she deliberately avoided making her condition public knowledge during the hospitalization period.

The health revelation came as Love addressed questions from followers regarding the status of her new record. She confirmed the album is complete and expressed satisfaction with the final product, noting she invested considerable effort into the project despite the medical challenges she faced during its creation.

"A lot of you asking on my record is at. It's done. It's kind of been done. It's a really good record. I put a lot into it," Love said in the video, according to Us Weekly.

In the caption accompanying her Instagram post, Love elaborated on the circumstances surrounding the album's production and her current aspirations. She indicated that she approached the recording process believing it might be her final album, which influenced her creative decisions.

"I wanted to give you an update on my record. When I made it, I believed this was my last record so I made the record I always wanted to make. I was in the hospital mostly but when I wasn't all I did was write & record it," she wrote in the post. "I want to tour more than anything. & I want to sing. That's what keeps my soul & body happy."

Love assured fans that she has recovered from the health crisis, stating she is now fine and requesting patience regarding the album's release timeline. Her expressed desire to return to touring and performing suggests she is looking forward to resuming her career following the extended health-related hiatus.