By Wonderwall.com Editors
8:12am PST, Feb 21, 2020
Jerry Lee Lewis returns to music after stroke
In February 2019, Jerry Lee Lewis suffered a stroke that left him with serious mobility issues — loved ones feared he wouldn't survive. But now, at 84, The Killer has gone back into the studio with longtime producer T-Bone Burnett to begin work on a gospel album. Although he asked for no pianos in the room because he feared he couldn't play anymore, T-Bone still brought one in and to Jerry's surprise, he was able to tickle the ivories through muscle memory. "I couldn't believe it, I couldn't believe it. I never experienced anything like that. There I was playing piano with my right hand. I thought I would never play again," the "Great Balls of Fire" hitmaker told Rolling Stone in a story published on Feb. 19. The musician also opened up about his stroke, saying, "It was very challenging, and it was a very emotional experience. I didn't know what was going on. I woke up in the hospital." These days Jerry is doing so well that he has a new goal in mind — being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
RELATED: Biggest country music stars
Queen recreates iconic Live Aid performance
Queen performed at the ANZ Olympic Stadium in Sydney on Feb. 17 as part of the Fire Fight Australia concert to benefit those affected by the country's devastating bushfires. Fans were in for an iconic moment as Brian May and Roger Taylor reprised their legendary 22-minute set from 1985's Live Aid concert. Singer Adam Lambert, who performs with the band these days, filling in for late frontman Freddie Mercury, fronted the concert, which raised more than $6.5 million. The band had posted earlier in the day about their show, saying on social media, "For The First Time In Its History, Queen, Fronted By Singer @adamlambert will perform the Band's Iconic 1985 Live Aid Set tonight for Fire Fight Australia Benefit Concert! Queen will perform in full its original 22 minute Live Aid set. The six-song set includes Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Ga Ga, Hammer To Fall, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest live performances of all time!"
RELATED: '70s rock bands: Where are they now?
Music star deaths
Rising New York Rapper Pop Smoke was shot and killed on Feb. 19 in his rented Los Angeles home. An LAPD spokesperson confirmed the tragic news to Rolling Stone. At 4:20 a.m., cops received an emergency call indicating that someone had broken into the rapper's house. The 20-year-old musician was then transferred to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead… Producer-DJ Andrew Weatherall passed away at 56 on Feb. 17. The musician, a pioneering DJ in Britain's late-1980s and early-1990s acid house scene, died from a pulmonary embolism at a London hospital. He was best known for producing Primal Scream's iconic 1991 album "Screamadelica" and for his work with artists including New Order, Björk, Happy Mondays and My Bloody Valentine.
RELATED: Stars we lost in 2020
Harry Styles robbed at knifepoint in London: Report
Talk about a Valentine's Day you don't want to remember! Harry Styles was robbed at knifepoint shortly before midnight on Feb. 14, according to Britain's The Mirror, which reported that the singer was confronted by a man in London's Hampstead area who demanded Harry hand over his cash. A source told the newspaper that Harry "actually played it pretty cool, quickly giving the assailant cash, keeping himself and the guy calm and getting the situation over with. Understandably though it left him very shaken up afterwards." London police confirmed the robbery but did not name Harry as the victim.
Britney Spears breaks foot dancing
Poor Brit Brit! In a Feb. 18 Instagram post, Britney Spear's boyfriend, Sam Asghari, announced that the pop star had fractured her foot. The personal trainer explained, "My lioness broke her metatarsal bone on her foot doing what she loves which is dancing. Wishing her the best recovery so she can jump, run, and dance her butt off." Sam adorned the singer's cast with the word "Stronger" and continued by saying, "When you break something it tends to heal stronger specially when you're my Girl." Broken bones seem to be a trend in the Spears clan at the moment as Britney's niece Maddie is dealing with a broken arm.
Chris Stapleton gives impromptu performance at Tyler Perry's "Madea" show
During the Feb. 18 performance of "Madea's Play Farewell Tour," Chris Stapleton decided to grace the audience with a performance of his hit song "Tennessee Whiskey." Madea creator Tyler Perry shared a clip on Instagram, writing, "Madea could not come to the end of the farewell tour and have @chrisstapleton in the audience in Nashville, Tennessee and not have him sing a verse of Tennessee Whiskey! And he KILLED IT!! Thank you Chris, blessings to you, your wife, and them babies!!" All of this news comes as Tyler prepares to retire his Madea alter ego.
Osbourne cancels 2020 North American tour amid health battle
On Feb. 18, Ozzy Osbourne announced that he would be canceling his 2020 North American "No More Tours 2" tour in order "to allow him to continue to recover from various health issues he has faced over the past year." Following promo for his new album, "Ordinary Man," Ozzy will be heading to Europe to undergo treatment for Parkinson's disease. The 71-year-old rock legend has also been battling pneumonia and struggling to recover from injuries resulting from a 2019 fall. The rocker said, "I'm so thankful that everyone has been patient because I've had a s— year. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get to Switzerland for treatment until April and the treatment takes six-eight weeks. I don't want to start a tour and then cancel shows at the last minute, as it's just not fair to the fans." All fans who purchased tickets will be a given a full refund and will be offered exclusive access to the next tour. Ozzy's dates for the U.K. leg of his tour in the fall still stand.
Billie Eilish surprises an emotional superfan
One lucky Billie Eilish fan's dream came true this week! During the Feb. 20 episode of the "Capital Breakfast Radio Show," Billie and host Roman Kemp surprised a Billie superfan, 16-year-old Marissa — who's the caregiver for her diabetic mom and special needs brother — with a chance to meet her idol. As Marissa was interviewed on the air, she explained the weight of her responsibilities to the host: "Balancing out home life as a young carer, school life with GCSEs, social life with my friends who aren't going through the same thing I am… I have lovely friends but they don't understand. They're not young carers, so they're not in my position. They can't relate to me but they will always be there to support me if I'm down. But they're never really going to know what it's like to be in my shoes." The teen went on to say how Billie's music helps her deal with stress and the general anxiety that comes with being a teen. As Marissa gushed about the pop superstar, Billie snuck up behind her before revealing herself. After telling Billie, through tears, that she loved her, Billie replied, "I love you! This has been an amazing interview."
