23-05-2025
Classic Rock Guitarist, 74, Reveals He ‘Actually Died' During Recent Operation
The rock world nearly lost Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham.
Gorham, who joined Phil Lynott's band in 1974, is recuperating after nearly dying on the operating table.
"I had a health issue scare about a year ago with a kidney that had to be removed, and I got sepsis from it," Gorham said on the May 21 episode of Darren Paltrowitz's Paltrocast podcast. "And the second surgeon said I actually died on the operating table and all that. And I was, like, 'Really, man? What the hell is all that about?'"
Though Gorham wasn't a founding member, he's considered an essential part of Thin Lizzy. He was one of the band's "twin lead guitarists" and Scott played on albums like Nightlife, Fighting and Jailbreak (which featured the band's biggest U.S. hit, "The Boys Are Back In Town").
Gorham reformed Thin Lizzy in 1996, 13 years after the band broke up and a decade after Lynott's death. He also played in the Thin Lizzy spin-off band, Black Star Riders, before departing in 2021 to focus strictly on Thin Lizzy.
In November, Gorham discussed putting together "just an absolute kick-[explicative] Thin Lizzy band" together for a tour, but he told Paltrocast that he's not ready to get back on the road.
"And now I had a third operation, and [my doctor] said, 'Maybe you should take some time out and just kind of rehabilitate and all that, get your strength back and all that.' So that's what I'm doing," said Gorham.
"And in the meantime, I've got the drawing to keep me occupied," he said. Last year, Gorham revealed his secret passion as an artist and held his first art exhibition in London.
"[Drawing] is the new thing for me," said Gorham. "It's something that I thought I'd never really do as a constant thing. So I'm kind of enjoying this kind of break from the music right now and going into this little bit of a different direction."
This doesn't mean his music career is over. Scott said that he hopes to "get my buns back out on the road" sometime Rock Guitarist, 74, Reveals He 'Actually Died' During Recent Operation first appeared on Parade on May 23, 2025
