Darren Hayes has opened up about a terrifying injury that left him hospitalised, wired shut, and wondering how he was still alive.
The former Savage Garden frontman shared the news via a lengthy Instagram post. There he detailed a serious incident that took place on 17 March in Santa Monica. Hayes said he woke up, fainted, collapsed three times and suffered a “blunt force trauma” injury so severe it snapped his jaw in half and shattered nine teeth.
“I woke up in a pool of blood, terrible pain in my left side of my head,” he wrote. “I could have died if I landed in a different position.”
The incident came nearly two months to the day after the death of his mother. Something that Hayes admits he was still struggling with. “I’ve been trying to keep it private,” he said, “but my lengthy recovery period means it’s easier to admit the truth.”
Hayes underwent emergency reconstructive surgery on March 21. Surgeons subsequently inserted a titanium brace to hold his jaw together, and his mouth is now wired shut for eight weeks. He says he’s still unsure what caused the fall, though he’s been experiencing fainting spells for some time. So far, tests have ruled out heart issues, arterial problems, and neurological conditions.
It’s a brutal chapter in what Hayes calls a string of personal losses. Coming off the back of a divorce, the death of both parents, and now this. “I have had moments of deep sadness,” he wrote, “but I am a survivor and I’ll come back strong.”
Hayes, best known for Savage Garden hits like ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ and ‘I Want You’, has largely kept a low profile in recent years outside of a brief return to music in 2022. The former frontman is now focussed on recovery and navigating what he calls a “lengthy rehab process.”
“Every day I’m getting stronger,” he told fans. “I’m so grateful to be alive.” And considering what he’s been through, I think that’s fair enough.
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