The Kinks' Dave Davies relearned guitar after life-threatening health incident
Chanel Georgina
The Kinks' Dave Davies encountered a life-threatening health condition back in the day, but at 76 he is still here to tell the tale.
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The Kinks' Dave Davies performs hit song with brother Ray

In his tell-all memoir, named after one of The Kinks' hits, Dave Davies revealed his recovery process from a stroke.

Titled Living On A Thin Line, the guitarist had to relearn how to play the instrument after he had a stroke in 2013, at the age of 57.

As reported by the New York Post, Dave recalled the moment he had a stroke as "really odd".

Dave elaborated: "I was becoming very attentive to negative vibes and negative energy. I felt faint and collapsed.

"But I didn’t lose consciousness at all, and what I found really curious was that I could see what was going on, or more importantly feel what was going on."

READ MORE Defiant stroke survivors hail the power of music

Dave suffered from a cerebral infarction (a stoppage of blood flow to the brain, i.e. a stroke).

"My doctor thought I’d been under severe stress, and the human body can only take so much," Dave recalled.

"He thought I might have had high blood pressure for about 10 to 15 years."

High blood pressure can weaken the arteries in the brain, making them more likely to split or rupture, the NHS explains.

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Reflecting on his lifestyle, Dave said: "I’m a vegetarian, but I did smoke. If you want your brain or body to get in trouble, smoke all the time.

"I used to kind of binge smoke. If I was on tour I wouldn’t smoke because of singing and stuff, but then if I had a break, I’d go and binge smoke."

The NHS says: "Smoking increases your risk of having a stroke by at least 50 percent."

There can be many short and long-term side effects of a stroke, from mobility issues to speech problems.

For Dave, he lost the ability to play the guitar, but it was his stubbornness to get better that he thanked for his healing process.

"The thing is, I’m quite stubborn, and that stubbornness helped me in the healing process because you can’t give up," Dave said.

"There’s something in human beings that triggers our sense of survival. In a survival situation you have to be positive."

Dave began by picking up the guitar and playing "the chord of E". Dave said: "E will always have a special place in my heart and soul because of when I picked up a guitar in the first place, and then when I was in rehabilitation [for his stroke]."

Watch The Kinks at the BBC on Saturday, July 15 on BBC Two at 9pm.