LOS ANGELES, DEC 11 :Oscar winning American actor Jamie Foxx, known for portraying the character of a player in the sketch comedy show “In Living Color”, has revealed he suffered a brain bleed leading to a stroke, that left him unconscious for 20 days in April last year.

The 56-year-old Foxx opened up about the shocking details of the medical crisis that almost claimed his life in a newly released Netflix special titled, “Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was”.

“It is a mystery,” he said. “We still don’t know exactly what happened to me.”

“On April 11, I was having a bad headache and I asked my boy for an aspirin. And I realised quickly that when you’re in a medical emergency, your boys don’t know what to do,” he said.

“Before I could get the aspirin I went out,” he said, adding “I don’t remember 20 days,” according to a CNN report.

Foxx showed gratitude to his sister, who he said was “4 foot 11 of nothing but pure love,” for driving him around Atlanta to find a hospital. They arrived at Piedmont Hospital, where a doctor diagnosed him with brain bleed that had led to a stroke and that he would die without an operation, the actor said.

Following the operation, doctors warned Foxx that recovery would be arduous, predicting, “It’s going to be the worst year of his life.” The actor shared how his family kept him out of the public eye during this time to protect him from potential ridicule, as his condition left him unable to walk and visibly disoriented.

On May 4, Foxx recalled waking up in a wheelchair and reacting in disbelief when told he had suffered a stroke. “Jamie Foxx don’t get strokes,” he remembered saying, showcasing his trademark humour even in the face of adversity.

He was later flown to a rehab facility in Chicago, where he began intensive therapy. “They told me to drop the ‘arrogant’ act if I wanted to make a full recovery,” Foxx said.

Foxx’s family and team remained tight-lipped about his condition during his hospitalisation, a decision in line with the actor’s preference for privacy.

“I know a lot of people were waiting or wanting to hear updates but to be honest with you, I just didn’t want you to see me like that, man,” he said in the video. “I want you to see me laughing, having a good time, partying, cracking a joke, doing a movie, television show. I didn’t want you to see me with tubes running out of me and trying to figure out if I was gonna make it through.”

“You’re looking at a man who is thankful… finally startin’ to feel like myself…” he wrote at the time. “It’s been an unexpected dark journey… but I can see the light.”

Despite his health setback, Foxx has shown remarkable resilience. He resumed work on “Back in Action”, which co-stars Cameron Diaz, marking her return to acting. It is slated to release in January, 2025.