Chris Murphy of Sloan revealed today on Instagram that he was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy earlier this month with a photo of his “imbalanced face.” He shared the grave realities associated with such an illness while acknowledging that it could have been worse.
“It’s crazy. I have to tape my eye shut at night etc. I remain optimistic that my face muscles will reanimate but it’s not guaranteed and it mightn’t happen for a few months, regardless. Looking on the bright side, it’s probably the best time this could happen. I can just be home and wear a mask when I’m outside.”
Bell’s Palsy is a condition that causes the facial muscles to weaken and gives a drooping appearance as a result. Typically, people make a full recovery within six months, but some people will have life-long symptoms. The comment section on his Instagram post shows no lack of support for the Canadian icon as many well-wishers showed up to encourage him and send best wishes. Dan Mangan reached out to share, “Much love amigo!!!! If it recovers, that’s dope.. If not, you’ll be the cool music dude from Sloan who is differently faced and rips endless rad tunes.”
You’d be hard-pressed to find a time when Sloan isn’t either in the studio or on the road. In fact, they had to cancel their Maritime leg of the revisiting Navy Blues tour when the world shut down last Spring. That still didn’t stop Murphy. He began doing side door access virtual shows last September, once a month for a total of 4 shows, playing only Sloan songs that he had written and interacting with his fans. He wrapped up in December, passing the torch to Sloan bandmate Patrick Pentland.
So it is not surprising that he commented on the timing of this unfortunate event. “It’s a drag but it could be worse.”