Cage the Elephant frontman Matt Shultz talks about the ways his 2023 arrest helped him turn his life around.
The “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” singer was arrested in January 2023 after three loaded handguns were found in his New York hotel room – and he now says the incident helped him realize he was going through “an extreme mental health crisis. ”
“It’s a miracle that I’m here today. I was arrested last year and it saved my life without a doubt,” he wrote in a statement he shared on Instagram on Wednesday. “After my arrest, I went to hospital for two months followed by months of outpatient treatment. I can finally explain what happened.”
Shultz, 40, wrote that for the past three years he had been “unknowingly struggling [his] through a complete mental health crisis” and that he “slipped into psychosis due to an iatrogenic reaction to the medication I was prescribed”. (Iatrogenic disease is “unintentionally induced by a physician or surgeon or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedures,” according to Merriam-Webster).
Cage the Elephant’s Matt Schultz arrested in New York, charged with criminal possession of a weapon
“I needed the love and support of my brothers in the band, my community and, most of all, my wife Eva to get me through it. Eva was by my side and saved my life countless times. To say she is a warrior and a queen is an understatement,” Shultz wrote. “Her unwavering love combined with professional treatment helped bring me back to reality and make a full recovery. I’ve learned a lot of hard lessons along the way and I think by God I’ve come out the other side.
The musician added that he was “humbled and grateful for the opportunity” to share his statement and thanked his friends, family and Cage the Elephant bandmates for standing by him.
On Thursday, Cage the Elephant announced a new album, Neon pillis scheduled for release on May 17. They have also announced a 45-date North American tour.
Eva, who married Shultz in 2020, shared his statement on her Instagram Story, adding: “I love you so much @matthewrayshultz.”
In November, she shared a post celebrating her husband’s successes and revealed they had renewed their vows in New York.
“I am incredibly proud of Matt and all he has overcome this year,” she wrote. “I am blessed to call him my husband, to love him and to be loved by him. God works miracles and my faith has been restored in love, my own life and hope for the future.”
Cage the Elephant’s Matt Shultz Pleads Guilty to Gun Possession Charges in New York, Accepts No Jail Deal
Shultz reportedly accepted a plea deal in June in which he avoided jail time but pleaded guilty to three charges: attempted possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon.
The New York Post reported that the singer was told by a judge to “stay out of trouble for a year,” after which he would be able to expunge the two counts and instead be sentenced to “one year of probation on a misdemeanor charge.”
“Mr. Shultz has worked hard to put this isolated episode behind him and appreciates the opportunity to move forward in a positive way,” his attorney, Sanford Talkin, told PEOPLE in a statement at the time.
Cage the Elephant was formed in 2006 in Bowling Green, Kentucky and has won Grammys for Best Rock Album in 2017 and 2020.
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