Brian Setzer of Stray Cats fame reveals autoimmune disease’s toll: ‘I cannot play guitar’

For rockabilly musician Brian Setzer, his hands “cramping up” while on tour with Stray Cats last year was an early sign of a larger health issue.

The 65-year-old rocker got candid about his health Thursday, writing on social media that he discovered after returning from tour “that I have an auto-immune disease.” Setzer, the pompadoured vocalist who rocks with drummer Slim Jim Phantom and bassist Lee Rocker for Stray Cats and also runs his own big-band orchestra, said Thursday, “I cannot play guitar.”

“There is no pain,” he reassured fans, “but it feels like I am wearing a pair of gloves when I try to play.”

Setzer did not share additional details about his condition but said that for a while it was so bad he couldn’t hold a pen or tie his shoes. Since then, he said, he has “seen some progress” and can now perform those daily tasks. The three-time Grammy winner told followers he has been receiving care at “the best hospital in the world down the block from me.”

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“It’s called the Mayo Clinic,” he said. “I know I will beat this, it will just take some time.”

Setzer, prior to sharing his health update, had been promoting both Stray Cats’ and his own solo work, including a remastering of his 2000 album “Vavoom!” Stray Cats kicked off their 2024 summer tour in July and concluded the circuit in mid-August. Months after hitting the road with the Cats, Setzer announced in October that he would hit the road on his own for a solo road trip.

“Going to head up north on the back roads traveling through Field and Farm and enjoying God‘s beautiful country,” he wrote on Instagram. “When it gets too cold, I’ll turn around. Hopefully the songbird will visit me, and I’ll have some new tunes for us soon, God bless you!”

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Setzer is the latest musician to reveal how their health has affected their ability to make music. In January, Eagles guitarist Steuart Smith, 72, announced he would take a break from performing with the “Hotel California” group due to a diagnosis of Parkinsonism. Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, 76, also revealed in January that he “can’t walk” amid his battle with Parkinson’s disease, which he publicly disclosed in 2020. His wife, Sharon Osbourne, confirmed the Prince of Darkness’ condition, telling the Sun in a recent interview that the disease “affects different parts of the body and it’s affected his legs.”

Still, she said, her husband’s “voice is as good as it’s ever been” and he is “very emotional” about his impending final bow with Black Sabbath later this year.