Rocker Jimmy Barnes is back on his feet and “up and walking slowly” after surgery for a hip damaged by years of performing.
The 66-year-old Cold Chisel singer and solo artist had surgery on Tuesday, three weeks after cancelling his summer tour for the urgent operation.
Daughter Elly May Barnes posted a photo of him in a hospital bed afterwards, alongside an X-ray of the damaged hip.
“My dadda is out of surgery and awake,” she wrote via the singer’s official Twitter.
“The doctors are very happy … Thanks for all the well wishes.”
On Wednesday afternoon, wife Jane shared another “Hip Op update”.
“Tubes out, drains out, up and walking slowly,” she wrote.
“So far so good. Incredible,” she said.
Barnes – seen smiling and standing with the help of a walking frame – also shared a message with a hope he might be home for Christmas.
“Your on going messages of encouragement have been uplifting, they got me on my feet today!” he said.
“Looks I’m here for a while. The team are taking amazing care of me but I hope I’ll be home for Christmas.”
Tweet from @jane13barnes
Barnes cancelled his tour, which was to support the re-issue of his 1991 soul and motown covers album Soul Deep, after doctors put the hard word on him to deal with severe pain from years of gruelling performances.
The cancellations included a planned Byron Bay Bluesfest unveiling of his new project band, The Barnestormers.
In a statement on November 29, Barnes said he had endured back and hip problems for years. But, it had recently worsened, leaving him in “constant and severe pain”.
“I’ve had niggling back and hip issues for years, but things suddenly got a lot worse over the last few weeks and I’m now in constant and severe pain,” he said.
“As everybody knows, it’s against my religion to blow out gigs but the doctors tell me I need an operation as soon as possible and it will really limit my movement for a few months.
“As much as it kills me to inconvenience everyone, I have to get this fixed so I can jump around onstage for another 50 years.”
It is far from his first major operation. In 2007, Barnes had heart surgery to correct a congenital condition and he had emergency back surgery in 2014 after suffering complications from an earlier procedure.
Scottish-born Barnes joined Adelaide-based Cold Chisel in the early 1970s and the band went on to release a string of hit albums.
He embarked on a successful solo career in 1983, although the band reunited in 1997.
