Jimmy Barnes’ wife shares hospital update on emergency surgery following NZ tour

Jimmy Barnes pictured with his children Jackie (left), and Mahalia in hospital following emergency hip surgery over the weekend. Photo / Instagram @jimmybarnesofficial

Jimmy Barnes experienced ‘unbearable’ pain in his hip while leaving Dunedin last week, leading to the rock star’s hospitalisation and an emergency operation.

Australian musician Jimmy Barnes was admitted to hospital over the weekend after he began experiencing severe hip pain while departing Dunedin on the morning of August 1.

The rock star informed fans that he was going into surgery on Saturday night, writing that doctors advised he would need to undergo a “remedial medical procedure” on his hip and would need at least six weeks to recover.

Barnes, 68, has since had his operation and is now out of the ICU “recovering well”, his wife Jane revealed on the Working Class Man singer’s Instagram.

Jane began writing for the singer following his surgery by thanking fans “once again for all your messages of support for our Jimmy.”

“You are an incredible on line community of family, friends and followers who offer up your kindness and thoughtfulness during trying times like these,” she continued.

“Jimmy is out of ICU and recovering well. I brought in some healing chicken soup and chocolate chip cookies for afternoon tea, a bit of home always helps hospital days.”

Jane also included a photo of Barnes and two of their children - Mahalia, 42, and Jackie, 38 - visiting him in hospital, which brought a beaming smile to the singer’s face.

“Our kids always around watching over us. Full of love,” Jane added at the end of the message.

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Barnes had just finished the last concert of his Hell of a Time tour’s New Zealand leg, performing to over 1000 fans at Dunedin’s Regent Theatre.

Jane and their daughters Eliza-Jane and Mahalia, also talented musicians, contributed to the Stone Cold singer’s shows as he toured Aotearoa.

While departing the city, the singer experienced a “twinge” in his hip. The pain became so “unbearable” the following day that he sought medical attention.

Revealing his sudden hospitalisation in a lengthy post for his 234,000 Instagram followers, Barnes posted a photo of him and his wife Jane by his bedside as he lay in hospital and said that he would be postponing the rest of his scheduled shows in Australia throughout August and September.

The singer wrote: “I’ve got some bad news unfortunately.

“I had a twinge in my hip when I was leaving Dunedin on Thursday morning and by late last night the pain was unbearable so I went off to hospital.

“The doctors have recommended a remedial medical procedure ASAP followed by some physio to address the issue. These doctors don’t muck around! Providing all goes to plan, I’m expected to make a full recovery in six weeks.

However, as a result of this unexpected surgery my August and September solo shows will all be impacted.”

Jimmy Barnes performing at The Civic in Auckland on July 25. Photo / Tom Grut

Barnes was scheduled to begin the Australian leg of his tour on Monday, kicking off the first of two shows in Wyong, New South Wales.

He then planned stops in Toowoomba, Thirroul and Canberra before playing at the Sydney Opera House.

Barnes ensured fans that the postponed tour dates would be revised, acknowledging the disruption it caused while also recognising he needs to recover.

“Ticket holders will be contacted with further info in the coming days once we have new plans in place.

“As you know, I hate to let anyone down, but I’m also never going to compromise the quality of my gigs.

“I apologise for the inconvenience this will cause everyone – I HATE moving shows! - but thank you for understanding.”

Barnes’ emergency surgery over the weekend marks the Good Times singer’s second major health scare in the past year, as well as the second operation on his hip since December 2022.

In December 2023, Barnes revealed he was heading in for emergency open heart surgery after a bacterial pneumonia infection had spread to his heart.

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After his surgery, the Aussie rock star - who was born in Glasgow but moved to Australia at the age of 5 - informed supporters in an Instagram update that the surgery was successful and he was poised to make a full recovery.

Barnes also underwent major surgery on his hip in December 2022, which was done to ease years of chronic pain.

He told fans at the time that after nearly 50 years of “jumping off PAs and stomping around stages”, the problem had “caught up” on him and he needed to do something to fix the “constant and severe pain”.

He has since claimed to have made a full recovery from the surgery.