One after another, Joni Mitchell has had to deal with various health struggles. In 2015, Mitchell found herself back in the hospital after she was found unconscious in her Los Angeles home, per People. Mitchell’s conservator, Leslie Morris, revealed that the “Big Yellow Taxi” singer had suffered an aneurysm. Shortly following the incident, a statement was released to Mitchell’s website (via People) that read, “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.” But while it may have seemed like the musician was on the road to recovery, it took more work than people may have thought.
Mitchell surprised everyone by appearing at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival and made a rare performance. After the show, the songwriter revealed to CBS Mornings that she had to relearn how to play guitar by watching videos of herself from years before her health issue. She explained, “It’s amazing what an aneurysm knocks out — how to get out of a chair, you don’t know how to get out of a bed, you don’t know how. You have to learn all these things by rote again.”
Despite all the issues that Mitchell had to overcome, it hasn’t stopped her passion for music. Now in her 80s, the musician is set to perform at the 2024 Grammys, showing once again that she is unstoppable.
