Singer Tony Christie reveals how pain meds made him feel suicidal

Tony revealed how an onstage accident left him struggling to walk

HE IS the legendary crooner who enjoyed a surprise career comeback when his biggest hit (Is This The Way To) Amarillo was covered by comedian Peter Kay for Comic Relief.

 

But Yorkshire-born Tony Christie, whose career took off in the early 1970s when he had international hits with Las Vegas, I Did What I Did For Maria and Avenues And Alleyways, recently effected an even more remarkable revival after a horrendous injury left him with difficulty walking and on medication that made him feel suicidal.

Tony, 72, who lives in Lichfield, Staffordshire, with his wife Sue, was performing at a concert in Essen, Germany – where he is one of the country’s most popular singers – when the accident occurred nearly two years ago. “The roadie for the band who played before me neglected to take a speaker from the side of the stage,” explains Tony.

“As I ran on stage, I went flying over the speaker and landed on my hip and elbow. “The audience just thought it was part of my show because I jumped up and carried on with my one-hour spot. I felt OK because the adrenalin had kicked in but when I got off-stage I noticed there was blood dripping on to my left hand from where I’d fallen on my elbow.

“I took my jacket off and my shirt was covered in blood. Skin was ripped off my elbow, and from my hip down to my knee I was black and blue. Medics at the arena bandaged me up and off I went, not thinking there was anything to worry about.

 

“But four weeks later, back home in Staffordshire, I started getting terrible pains in my back and hip and found it difficult to stand up or bend down. My GP sent me for X-rays and an MRI scan which showed the bottom two discs of my spine had herniated.”

A herniated disc occurs when the tough outer case of a spinal disc splits, allowing some of the soft inner gel to bulge outwards. This can cause the surrounding muscles that help to support the spine to go into spasm.

I really felt I wanted to die. Sue looked at the leaflet with the medication which stated that the side effects of gabapentin include anxiety and depression, so I stopped taking them

Tony Christie

The bulging disc can also put pressure on the nerves as they leave the spine, causing severe pain. IN most cases herniated discs do eventually get better on their own but the pain can be eased with a combination of painkillers, physiotherapy to reduce muscle spasm and regular exercises to keep the spine moving.

In persistent cases surgery may be required to remove the bulging part of the disc. But the pain medication Tony was given made him feel worse. “My back was in agony so I was given morphine and gabapentin,” he explains. “I took gabapentin for muscle relaxation but it made me feel like a zombie.

“I remember going to the local shop to buy a paper and the owners told my wife Sue they were concerned because it was as though I no longer recognised anyone. “The side effects were so bad that I told Sue, ‘I don’t want to be here any more’.

"I really felt I wanted to die. Sue looked at the leaflet with the medication which stated that the side effects of gabapentin include anxiety and depression, so I stopped taking them. My hip started hurting again and I went to hospital for more scans, which revealed painful swelling in the joint, so I had to have cortisone injections.

“I couldn’t work for two years after the accident,” says Tony. “People would ring my son Sean, who’s my manager, asking if I could do various things. He would tell them I was too busy. In this business if you admit you’re ill the phone stops ringing. However, it didn’t affect my voice – I could still sing.

 

Tony during the filming of a show at the BBC in the 1970s

"To do a 90-minute show was impossible but I was able to stand still and do a song on a TV show and I was able to record, so I made two albums – The Great Irish Songbook and another which will be released next year.”

Tony, who is about to embark on a string of UK concerts to promote his latest album, says that prior to his accident he had always enjoyed good health despite a fondness for fatty foods and real ale. “I kept myself fit playing golf, doing karate and running and, of course, performing regularly on stage,” he says.

Over the next two years, through exercise and physiotherapy, Tony gradually recovered. He also tried alternative therapies including reiki, which he believes speeded up the healing process. Now he is determined to do all he can to prevent a relapse.

“I was encouraged to walk as much as possible and do sit-ups,” he says. “I’m still a little afraid of taking up golf again but I plan to soon, along with hiring a personal trainer to ensure I don’t damage myself again. I’m already back working properly, doing live shows – doing what I was born to do.”

He adds: “I still feel about 40, but in the last few years I’ve been to the doctor more times than in the rest of my life.”

* The Great Irish Songbook is released on September 18. For upcoming tour dates visit tonychristie.com