More than a year and a half after reports emerged that Jamie Foxx had had a medical emergency, the actor, singer and comedian has finally revealed that he suffered a stroke in April 2023. In his new Netflix stand-up special, Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was…, the Oscar winner details his near-death experience and grueling rehabilitation and credits his sister with saving his life.
Here’s what to know about Foxx’s stroke and the brain bleed that caused it.
A headache turned life-threatening
In Atlanta on April 11, 2023, Foxx developed a searing headache. A friend gave him an aspirin, but the star lost consciousness before he could take the pill. He was taken to a doctor who, he says, gave him a shot of cortisone and sent him home. But Foxx’s younger sister, who was with him, sensed that something much more serious was happening to her brother, he said: “My sister said, ‘No — get him in the car; that ain’t my brother right there.” Foxx says his sister drove “aimlessly” around Atlanta and eventually took him into Piedmont Hospital. There, a doctor diagnosed Foxx with a brain bleed that had led to a stroke and said that he needed to operate immediately.
While Foxx jokes about the many rumors and social media reactions about his so-called “mystery illness,” his health scare does remain something of a mystery. His doctor at Piedmont Hospital was never able to locate the source of the brain bleed. The physician also told Foxx’s sister, “He may be able to make a full recovery, but he’s gonna have the worst year of his life.”
Foxx “woke up” on May 4 with no memory of the previous 20 days. He says he couldn’t walk (and needed a wheelchair), his speech was impaired and his head shook. He was then flown to Chicago to start his recovery.
What is a brain bleed, and how does it cause a stroke?
A stroke is a severe medical emergency that occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted. It can be caused by blood clots, blockages in blood vessels or a brain bleed, which occurs when a blood vessel breaks and begins bleeding into the brain.
A brain bleed, which Foxx suffered, is also called a hemorrhagic stroke. More than 795,000 people have strokes in the U.S. each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates. According to the American Stroke Association (ASA), about 13% of those are hemorrhagic strokes. Strokes are a leading cause of disability in the U.S. About one-third of survivors are permanently disabled afterward, and only about half of all victims are still alive five years after their first stroke. Foxx is among the 10% of people who “recover almost completely” from stroke, according to Northwestern Medicine.
Stroke risks increase with age, most commonly striking people ages 65 and older — but the CDC says that the average age for a first stroke is falling. Foxx, who is now 56, is among a growing number of Americans having strokes in middle age. Today, about 25% of stroke victims are younger than 65.
Black Americans, like Foxx, face nearly double the risk of stroke that their white counterparts do, according to the CDC. To some extent, Black men’s elevated risks of stroke and other cardiovascular problems reflect disparities in health and access to health care. Black men are more likely to have high blood pressure than their white counterparts, and for them, the problem is more likely to start at a younger age.
High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for stroke, along with age. Others include:
Preventing strokes and recognizing the first signs
Strokes usually happen in people who have one of the conditions listed above. The good news is that you can dramatically lower your risks of these precursors with lifestyle changes in keeping with the American Heart Association’s “Life’s Essential 8” guidelines:
You can also check out the recently updated U.S. screening guidelines to see if you need to be assessed by your health care provider.
And remember that acting fast — as Foxx’s sister did — is key to improving the odds of survival and recovery. That requires recognizing the signs that you should seek immediate medical care:
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Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
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Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or difficulty understanding speech
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Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
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Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or lack of coordination
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Sudden severe headache with no known cause