Alex Lifeson said he’d felt nauseous for a year after undergoing stomach surgery in 2023.
The ex Rush guitarist revealed that his health had improved after attending a clinic in Austria in January 2025 – but he has to keep strict control over his diet for the rest of his life, which has meant an end to drinking and smoking.
“They have many cancer patients there, and they provide so many different therapies,” Lifeson told AllMusic in a new interview. “And it’s very calm and quiet – no phones, no music. It’s just about almost zenning out… drinking a lot of water, tea; there’s no coffee, there’s obviously no alcohol.”
READ MORE: Alex Lifeson Recalls Mixed Emotions of Rush’s Last Live Show
He explained: “I went because I had surgery in 2023 on my stomach, and it left me with gastroparesis [which means] food stays in my stomach for 10 or 12 hours rather than two or three hours.
“So I really have to eat very carefully, and I have to be very selective about how I eat and not cross that line, because it’s hard for me to get back over. … [O]ne mistake costs me two or three days of discomfort.”
The 71-year-old continued: “I was nauseous for a year. I was miserable for pretty much a year and a half.” When he went to the clinic, “they just taught me how to take control of how I’m eating, what to eat, when to eat. And it’s just remarkable.”
Lifeson described himself as lazy, and someone who wouldn’t work hard on things he didn’t want to do – but following the clinic’s instructions had been life-changing. “I’ve lost about 23 pounds, and I lost another I think 15 or 20 pounds before that. So I’m down close to 40 pounds in a year and a half.
Alex Lifeson’s Not Very Rock Star Life
“And if I’m careful and I eat properly, I can live a happy, relatively normal life. If I don’t, then I suffer. … I don’t drink anymore; I don’t smoke, I don’t eat junk… Gluten free, lactose free… That’s what I have to do. It’s not a choice – this is what I have to do to maintain a decent, comfortable life.”
Asked to describe a day in his life now, he said: “I’m usually up between 5:30 and 6:30. I hit the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. At 9:00, I come back. This is my studio in my apartment, and I like to come back here and spend time here. It’s my sanctuary… I never get bored in here.”
He added: “I play a little bit of golf, and I was going to say some tennis occasionally. And I make my own food… And once a week or so, I’ll drop by Ged’s, and we’ll have coffee and talk about stuff. And see my grandkids. And that’s about it. That’s about my life.”
Rush Albums Ranked
We examine Rush’s 19 studio albums, from 1974’s muscular self-titled release to a series of remarkable late-career triumphs.
Gallery Credit: Eduardo Rivadavia
