Jimmy Barnes has surprised his fans by dropping an unexpected new photo on Instagram to show how he was feeling after recent open-heart surgery.
The former Cold Chisel frontman had the emergency surgery in Sydney in December after revealing a bacterial infection he’d been fighting had spread to his heart.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Jimmy Barnes announces return to the stage.
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The surgery was to replace a damaged valve and resulted in a tough few months of recovery for the 67-year-old rocker.
But Barnes appears to be well and truly on the mend, if a photo posted to social media on Thursday is anything to go by.
The photo shows Barnes standing in front of a pool at what looks to be a hotel, holding up a set of bright blue weights and wearing nothing but a pair of black shorts and a silver pendant.
He is grinning widely, his scar from the surgery only faintly detectable and the name of his wife, Jane, tattooed on his chest.
“Still Mr Puniverse but I feel fantastic,” he joked in the caption.
Fans loved the unexpected picture, flocking to the comments section to say how well Barnes looked.
“Seriously, looking sooo healthy!! 💥💥👏🏼,” one follower wrote.
“Looking great Jimmy, build the strength and energy, you are looking great,” wrote another.
“Looking good JB, inspirational on how a positive attitude heals a broken body & of course your Jane by your side 👍💜🙏,” added a third.
On December 13 last year, Barnes stunned his fans by announcing he needed to have open-heart surgery, saying the situation had “happened very suddenly”.
“Despite everyone’s best efforts, the bacterial infection I’ve been battling over the last fortnight has apparently now spread to my heart,” Barnes began a long message to his fans explaining what was going on.
“It’s infected an otherwise healthy valve that was replaced some years ago due to a congenital defect, so I’ll be getting open-heart surgery over the next few hours to clear out this infection and put in a clean valve.
“Obviously, this is going to take me out of action for a while. I know lots of other people are battling even worse things, but it still feels hugely frustrating.
“Just a few weeks ago, I was the fittest I’ve been in decades!”
The nation held its breath as Barnes went in for surgery — and, thankfully, came out again.
At first, his wife Jane posted updates on his recovery until Jimmy was well enough to take over.
He has posted regular health updates ever since, recently announcing that touring would soon be back on the cards.
Barnes will play the Byron Bay Bluesfest on March 31 before embarking on a national tour.
“I can’t wait to get back on stage, in front of the band and playing for you all,” the legendary rocker said in a message last month.
“I’m happy to announce that my first show back on stage this year will be at the legendary Byron Bay Bluesfest, where I’ll be playing a special Flesh and Wood (album) 30th anniversary show.
“It’s going a lot of fun … I’ll see you there in just over a month.”
He joins headliners Jack Johnson, Ben Harper and Elvis Costello for the northern NSW event.
Barnes had already announced three shows for the Red Hot Summer Tour in the Hunter Valley, Launceston and Bendigo between April 6 and 27.
He also announced after those shows he’ll be travelling “across the country” on his “Hell of a Time” tour.
The tour will begin in Perth in June, before fishing at the Sydney Opera House in mid-August.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for the plucky music legend, who was lying in intensive care three months ago.
“Looking happy, healthy and fantastic,” one fan wrote beneath his latest post.
“World’s biggest smile — looking good big guy,” added another.
“I’m blown away by you mate,” said a third.
“Well done to you.”
