Rock’n’roll pioneer Bo Diddley, hospitalized by a stroke on Sunday, was up and walking around on Thursday but still struggling to communicate, his longtime manager and friend told Reuters.
“I’m truly encouraged by the way he is responding,” Margo Lewis said in an interview from the hospital in Omaha, Neb., where the 78-year-old guitarist was rushed on Sunday following a concert.
Lewis said the stroke had left Diddley with no physical disability but had affected the left side of his brain, impairing his speech and speech recognition.
She said it was too early to tell if he would be able to recover enough to perform again. “He is having a hard time understanding us … We’re hopeful he can come back,” Lewis said. She added that doctors hoped to have Diddley out of the intensive care unit in a couple of days.
Diddley, who has a history of hypertension and diabetes, showed signs of disorientation following a concert at Harrah’s Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and was admitted to the hospital with elevated blood pressure and glucose levels.
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