Donald Glover, better known to music fans as Childish Gambino, stunned audiences at Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival on November 22, revealing he had suffered a stroke while on tour in 2024. The unexpected medical emergency forced him to cancel the remainder of his global tour, which had included stops across the U.S., U.K., Europe, and Australia. Fans were met with a candid and heartfelt account from the artist, underscoring the gravity of the situation.

Glover described how the symptoms first appeared after a show in New Orleans, with intense head pain and blurred vision. Despite feeling unwell, he completed the performance before seeking medical attention in Houston, where doctors diagnosed the stroke. “I had a really bad pain in my head in Louisiana and I did the show anyway,” he told fans. “I couldn’t really see well, so when we went to Houston, I went to the hospital and the doctor was like, ‘You had a stroke.’” He admitted his initial reaction was guilt for letting people down, joking about “copying Jamie Foxx,” who publicly dealt with a stroke in 2023. The revelation highlighted the resilience behind his performances.

The stroke was compounded by additional health challenges. Around the same time, Glover broke his foot and discovered a congenital hole in his heart, a condition that required two separate surgeries. These combined issues necessitated the tour’s cancellation, which had previously been explained only as an unspecified “ailment.” The disruption interrupted what was planned as a farewell era for his Childish Gambino persona, following the release of Bando Stone & the New World earlier in 2024. The situation underscored the seriousness of balancing rigorous touring schedules with health concerns.

Reflecting on the experience, Glover offered fans a poignant insight: “They say everybody has two lives, and the second life starts when you realize you have one. You’ve got one life, and the life I’ve lived with you guys has been such a blessing.” Since recovering, the five-time Grammy winner has shifted focus back to film and television projects, primarily working under his real name, Donald Glover, leaving the Childish Gambino moniker behind while embracing a new chapter in his career.