Joni Mitchell's History Of Serious Health Problems Explained

When you hear the name Joni Mitchell, it's tied to one of the greatest songwriters to ever exist. You may think of songs like "Big Yellow Taxi" or perhaps her 1971 album "Blue." Music most definitely comes first when Mitchell's name is brought up and not her health. But you would be surprised to discover that the musician has had a history of medical problems throughout her successful career.

Mitchell has always been open about the health issues she faced throughout the years. In 1979, the songwriter opened up to Rolling Stone about a brief period in her career when she wasn't doing well and had to cancel shows. She shared, "There was one time that I was onstage for one song. And I left ... I was still in bad health from going out on Rolling Thunder, which was mad." She continued, "I had bronchitis. A bone in my spine was out of place and pinching like crazy. So I was in physical pain. I was in emotional pain."

While you can't always control your health, Mitchell did her best to keep her well-being in check amidst the chaos and health issues in her career by diving into therapy (via The Marginalian). But while it helped with her mental health, unfortunately, it couldn't prevent the struggles that would arise in her overall health.

From the time that she was a young girl, Joni Mitchell had to face some serious health issues. The songwriter grew up in a time when there was a terrible polio epidemic, and she unfortunately caught the disease when she was just nine years old, per Star magazine. Revealing how bad the sickness had gotten, she shared, "My spine was twisted up like a train wreck. I couldn't walk. I was paralyzed." Mitchell was one of the few who recovered from polio, but many who overcame the disease saw similar symptoms years later due to what they call post-polio syndrome.

For Mitchell, her post-polio syndrome flared up nearly 45 years after she first caught the disease, per Star magazine. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, post-polio syndrome can cause the "deterioration of nerve cells called motor neurons over many years that leads to loss of muscle strength and dysfunction." The "River" singer faced this issue firsthand. She explained, "It's like multiple sclerosis. It means your electrical system burns out and your muscles begin to atrophy. It means impending paraplegia."

Much like how she was able to recover from getting polio, Mitchell pushed through the post-polio syndrome. However, this wouldn't be the last time she struggled with her health, and the songwriter herself said that contracting polio was like "rehearsal for the rest of my life" (via Q104.3).

There's a lot of mystery surrounding Morgellons disease and Joni Mitchell's struggle with the health issue. For those unfamiliar with the illness, Mayo Clinic reports the health issue arises when one believes that "parasites or fibers are emerging from the skin."

Mitchell first brought up the health issue in 2010 when speaking with the Los Angeles Times, saying that she had "this weird, incurable disease that seems like it's from outer space" (via Billboard). Although it all seemed a bit confusing, the songwriter continued to explain, "Fibers in a variety of colors protrude out of my skin like mushrooms after a rainstorm: they cannot be forensically identified as animal, vegetable, or mineral."

While dealing with this serious issue, Mitchell took time out of the spotlight. She told The Star in 2013, "I haven't been doing much lately because I've just come through about seven years of a flattening kind of illness." As the musician took time to work on her health, no one truly knew what she was dealing with. It wasn't until she opened up in her 2014 book, "Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words," how taxing her symptoms from Morgellons disease were (via Billboard). She explained, "I couldn't wear clothing. I couldn't leave my house for several years. Sometimes it got so I'd have to crawl across the floor. My legs would cramp up, just like a polio spasm. It hit all of the places where I had polio."

One after another, Joni Mitchell has had to deal with various health struggles. In 2015, Mitchell found herself back in the hospital after she was found unconscious in her Los Angeles home, per People. Mitchell's conservator, Leslie Morris, revealed that the "Big Yellow Taxi" singer had suffered an aneurysm. Shortly following the incident, a statement was released to Mitchell's website (via People) that read, "The truth is that Joni is speaking, and she's speaking well. She is not walking yet, but she will be in the near future as she is undergoing daily therapies." But while it may have seemed like the musician was on the road to recovery, it took more work than people may have thought.

Mitchell surprised everyone by appearing at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival and made a rare performance. After the show, the songwriter revealed to CBS Mornings that she had to relearn how to play guitar by watching videos of herself from years before her health issue. She explained, "It's amazing what an aneurysm knocks out — how to get out of a chair, you don't know how to get out of a bed, you don't know how. You have to learn all these things by rote again."

Despite all the issues that Mitchell had to overcome, it hasn't stopped her passion for music. Now in her 80s, the musician is set to perform at the 2024 Grammys, showing once again that she is unstoppable.