Jamie Foxx – the comedian, musician and Oscar-winning actor – accepted BET’s Ultimate Icon Award this week, and revealed new details about the brain bleed that almost claimed his life in 2023.

Foxx said what began as an excruciating headache was later determined to be a brain bleed stroke. Dr. Jonathon Lebovitz, of Nuvance Health Neurosurgery, said that one-third of patients who have a ruptured aneurysm don’t survive.

“He said he was very, very lucky. He's not exaggerating,” said Lebovitz, who did not treat Foxx, but performs brain bleed surgery regularly.

"We used to open the skull, but now – most aneurysms, we can work inside through the blood vessels in a minimally invasive way through the arm or the leg to block off the bleeding brain aneurysm,” he said.

Bleeding that is not addressed could lead to brain damage, weakness, numbness or death, he said.

Jamie Foxx credited his daughter for saving his life, saying that the 14-year-old would play music for him while in his hospital room.

Doctors say music can be integral for keeping patients calm and facilitate emotional and physical healing. Stamford Health's Dr. Raviv Berlin says studies of people undergoing surgery have shown that people who have “listened to music before their procedure had a reduced anxiety and a reduced need for sedatives.”

“Those who listened to music in the [operating room] reported less discomfort during their procedure. And hearing music in the recovery room lowered the use for opioid painkillers," he said.