Terry Luttrell was injured in a car crash after falling asleep at the wheel following an REO Speedwagon reunion concert.
The ’80s rocker had been performing at State Farm Centre for the one-off event, billed as a farewell show for the band, which he’d spent four years as the frontman of.
The now 78-year-old says he dozed off about 30 minutes into the drive from Champaign in Illinois, the band’s home town.
READ MORE: Eric Dane makes his first red carpet appearance after diagnosis
“The airbag went off and cracked my sternum a little bit,” he told the News Gazette.
“I have a little back pain and neck pain. It’s nothing that can’t be overcome.”
The rockstar admitted he didn’t get much sleep the night before, as he was signing autographs for fans after the show until 4.30am.
He got behind the wheel on Sunday morning after just a few hours sleep, thinking he’d be OK while driving along the Interstate 57.
“I nodded off,” he told the publication from hospital on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST).
READ MORE: Outlander star astonished by Aussie winter
“I rolled the car over, and I woke up and I was in a cocoon (the airbags). Unfortunately, it totalled the car.”
The singer, who was able to get up and out of the car, said he’ll spend some extra time in hospital to undergo rehab for his injuries.
Fellow band members sent their well-wishes for a speedy recovery.
For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.
“I just heard about Terry Luttrell’s car accident … I wish him the best on a speedy recovery,” the band’s longtime frontman Kevin Cronin wrote on social media.
The band’s drummer, Michael Mesey, said Luttrell was lucky to be alive.
“He is very blessed to have walked away from this accident, mainly a blessing from God and the airbags in his BMW,” he told Daily Mail.
Luttrell became lead singer of REO Speedwagon in 1968, before leaving in 1972 after a dispute with guitarist Gary Richrath.
He was replaced in the band by Cronin and went on to become the frontman for Starcastle.
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.