We haven’t heard too much from former Killswitch Engage vocalist Howard Jones since he left the band in early 2012. While at the time, there was no official reason given for his departure, it turned out that Jones had type 2 diabetes and he hadn’t been taking care of himself. And after leaving the band, his diabetes still wasn’t treated, as he told Metal Hammer:
“Finding out you’re diabetic is pretty dramatic. I just started feeling weird, and then I started getting really clumsy. I fell down some stairs and broke a finger, then fell down some other stairs and broke a toe. Then I collapsed. I was in a coma for three days. They basically told me I had the highest sugar level they’d ever seen. Afterwards, they told me I had a 50/50 chance of coming out with brain damage.”
Thankfully, Jones turned out ok, and it’s good that he got treatment, but it’s unfortunate that it took a coma for him to seek treatment. Being in a band doesn’t lend itself to having health insurance, so it’s understandable, but if you find yourself with symptoms like Jones’, you should seek medical attention immediately.
With his health problems at least temporarily taken care of, Jones has time to concentrate on his new project, a band featuring members of All Shall Perish and Devolved, of which he said “I got to write a little more deep and a little more dark.” Yeah, I’d imagine a coma might bring that out in you.
