An '80s rock singer is opening up about health problems behind the scenes. Winger frontman Kip Winger revealed that he nearly ended his touring career after battling both vocal cord paralysis and lingering complications from long COVID.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The 65-year-old rocker discussed his condition during an Oct. 21 appearance on SiriusXM's Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk. He explained why his band continues performing despite what many fans believed was its farewell concert last year. Winger initially appeared to retire from touring following an Aug. 31, 2025, performance at the Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood, California.
However, the band has since performed approximately a dozen concerts in 2026, leaving some fans confused about its future. According to Blabbermouth, the singer explained that ongoing vocal problems were among the reasons he wanted to reduce his touring schedule.
The rock singer explained, "We toured a lot for the last five years, and I was wanting more time to focus on the other writing I'm doing. I had a lot of trouble with my voice. I've got this paralysis in my vocal cord, so it's very difficult to get my voice up and running, but I can do it."
He continued, "And we did a show at the Rainbow Bar & Grill [in West Hollywood, California] about a year and a half ago. And I was telling everybody, like, 'This is gonna be my last show for a while. Because I'm doing other s--t.' And f--k if Marq Torien [BULLETBOYS] didn't go out there and go, 'This is Kip's retirement gig.' He said it the whole set. So that's how it got spread. I never announced it, but I was thinking we were gonna go from 35, 40 shows a year down to, like, six or seven, and that's what we're doing."
Rock Singer Talks Health Issues
His vocal difficulties have been equally frustrating. The rock singer explained that the right side of his vocal cord does not fully connect with the other side, creating problems when he attempts certain notes.
He said, " "It's like a long COVID [thing]. I mean, I had long COVID where I'd get up at 8:00 in the morning and I'd have to go back to bed at 11:00. Like, really tired for about a year and a half. And the right side of my vocal cord doesn't connect all the way to the other one. It's getting a lot better. It's almost all the way better. But I still have to struggle to hit certain things. It's a bit of [Jon] Bon Jovi, but nowhere near as bad. Man, I feel for him, 'cause that motherf--ker has balls to keep pushing with that condition."
Fortunately, the singer believes his condition has improved considerably.
