Donald Glover reveals he had a stroke last year which forced him to cancel his New World tour

American musician and actor Donald Glover, also known by his stage name Childish Gambino, says he had a stroke last year.

On stage at Camp Flog Gnaw festival in Los Angeles on Saturday night, Glover said he "had a really bad pain in my head" before a show in Louisiana in 2024.

He did the show anyway, and the 42-year-old rapper said afterwards he "couldn't really see well" so he went to the hospital where a doctor told him "you had a stroke".

The latest data, taken in 2023 by the Stroke Foundation, shows there was a stroke in Australia every 11 minutes, with a total estimate of 45,785 stroke events in the country that year.

That same data showed that 1 in 4 strokes occurred in people under the age of 65 years. 

Glover was forced to cancel his New World tour just a month after it began in September 2024. At the time he cited a non-specific "ailment" but that he had to focus on his "physical health for a few weeks".

However, during the show at Tyler, the Creator's festival this past weekend, Glover said he felt like he was letting everyone down, when he found out he had a stroke.

Glover added that doctors also found a hole in his heart, so he had to have two surgeries.

'Minimise your risk' of stroke

Kelvin Hill, executive director of Stroke Programs, Research and Innovation at the Stroke Foundation said the symptoms Glover experienced were some of "the lesser common signs of stroke".

He added that despite Glover's stroke showing uncommon symptoms, "about 80 per cent of all stroke signs are covered by the F.A.S.T acronym".

"Facial weakness, Arm weakness, Speech disturbance, and Time — get to the hospital now," he said.

"It obviously impacts the brain but it's actually the signal that the brain sends to the muscles which is commonly picked up in signs of stroke."

He added that whilst it is less common, people can experience "funny changes in their eyes" and "a really severe headache at the back of your head" like Glover experienced.

The best piece of knowledge the Stroke Foundation gives people from 20-40 is to maintain a healthy lifestyle, Mr Hill said.

"In your 30s and 40s is when you should be looking at your good behaviours."

He urged people under the age of 65 to "do the right thing, exercise, eat healthy, minimise your risk".

Data from the Stroke Foundation shows that the percentage of people under 65 having a stroke is increasing.

Stroke events per 100,000 people in Australia rose to 101 for males and 65 for females aged between 45-54 in 2023.

Assessments available from 45

Mr Hill said Glover's age was a reminder for Australians to go and get a comprehensive cardiovascular assessment once you turn 45.

"It is a really important thing to do when you're young before you start to develop these symptoms," he said.

"Know what your blood pressure is, know what your cholesterol is. They're things that often don't have symptoms unless they're really severe."

The whole experience has given Glover a new outlook on life. He told the crowd to live their lives on their terms.

"They say everybody has two lives, and the second life starts when you realise you have one," he said.

The musician had been set to bring his world tour to Australia in January 2025. There is no confirmation on rescheduled dates as yet.