Rock star legend Brian May has spoken up about the importance of having ‘good health’ in an emotional New Year’s post.Fran Winston, Jamie Roberts and Eilidh Farquhar Trainee Trends, Showbiz and Lifestyle Writer
19:26, 01 Jan 2026
Brian May has stressed the importance of good health in a heartfelt New Year’s post.(Image: Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images)
Brian May has shared a heartfelt New Year’s message on his social media, emphasising that without having good health it is “hard to enjoy anything”. The Queen legend has suffered from a series of health setbacks over the years.
While he didn’t mention any health concerns in the post, the 78-year-old did make it clear he understands how important looking after your health can be to your overall life. One of he astrophysicist’s most recent struggles was a “scary” stroke back in August 2024.
Posting on Instagram, the rocker uploaded an animated illustration of himself and shared his well wishes for the new year with his 3.6million followers. In the clip, which was accompanied by his track New Horizons, Brian can be seen grinning and playing his guitar while galaxies and colourful lights surround him, reports the Mirror.
Brian wrote: “Hello dear folks!!! These are my sentiments in wishing you a great New Year — New Horizons – new opportunities – new dreams – new challenges – new fulfilments!!! And Good Health – without which it’s hard to enjoy anything.”
He went on to add: “Thanks @concha_q and @st.zlat.proreal for@this timely reminder of one of the most inspiring times of my life – as a guest collaborator on the New Horizons NASA mission to Pluto and then on to the Kuiper Belt Object which became known as Arrokoth.
“But the FUTURE is still out there!! Let’s go find it!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR to all creatures! Including YOU!!! Bri.”
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Many fans of the rock star flooded the comments section of the social media post to share their own wishes for the new year.
One person wrote: “Dear Bri, a very Happy New Year to you, Anita and all who are dear to you! May you always be healthy and free from worry! I am convinced your dreams will come true, because you are someone who does what it takes.”
Another follower also added: “Happy New Year to you and your loved ones, Sir Brian. Wishing you the best of everything in 2026. Much love and respect to you always!”
A third user also praised the art the star had posted, commenting: “Happy New Year 2026 dear Dr Bri! Wonderful memories of New Horizons and what gorgeous art! Be happy, peaceful and well everyone!”
Brian has opened up about his health struggles in recent years, saying they were a “wake-up call”. However, he has been noted in the past to understate the severity of his ailments.
In November 2025, Brian said on Alan Titchmarsh’s Love Your Weekend: “I’ve had a number of things, the stroke was one of them. I get these things, but I seem to be able to get out of them. They give you a wake-up call.”
A week after his stroke in 2024, Brian confirmed that he was allowed to play guitar again, despite initially losing control of one of his arms. He called this a “health hiccup”.
At the time, his wife Anita said: “He didn’t actually try until after he’d recovered quite a bit. And then he very slowly started to pick up an acoustic guitar and gradually just exercise the muscles. And it very quickly came back.
“He’s just retraining the messages from your brain to that arm, that it’s actually okay to do what it used to do. It was scary. And also being a genius for someone like that. His brain’s overloaded, that’s what it is. He’s too clever for his own good.”
Brian also had a heart attack in 2020, which he first dismissed as a gardening injury. However, he is now aware that he “could have died”.
Following this scare, he had three stents fitted into this heart to support this recovery. These are tiny tubes that keep blocked arteries open.