Slipknot percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan has revealed that doctors discovered he needs heart surgery after the band’s last tour, and the way he described the experience makes clear just how serious it got behind the scenes. In a new episode of Tetragrammaton With Rick Rubin, Crahan said there were moments onstage when he would suddenly go from feeling fine to feeling like he was “dying,” even while pushing through performances as usual. The episode was published on May 6, 2026, and runs nearly two hours.
Crahan said the problem only came to light after the tour ended, when he went in because he was not feeling well. During the medical check, a nurse had trouble getting an EKG reading, and at one point doctors were concerned he might be having a heart attack. He later learned that he has a “skipping heart” and will need a procedure to correct it. He described the surgery as a relatively simple one and said it is usually done the same day, without the kind of major open surgery people might imagine.
He also explained why the diagnosis hit so hard emotionally. Crahan said Slipknot has always been good for him, even though he hates that he depends on it so much. He described the band as something that keeps him alive, gives him willpower, purpose, and a reason to stay disciplined, and he said the news made him realize he cannot simply walk away from the life he has built around the group.
At the same time, Crahan sounded almost stunned by how his own body has responded to decades of touring and stress. He said his heart rate drops very low at night and described himself as overweight, but also said his mind has trained his body to keep going like a cross-country runner. He told Rubin that he is 56 and that doctors are telling him he needs to take better care of himself if he wants to keep doing more.
The interview did not just focus on the heart issue. Crahan also spoke about the long physical toll of being in Slipknot, saying he still deals with intense back pain and reflecting on the sacrifices that came with helping build the band’s identity from the ground up. The podcast page identifies him as Slipknot’s co-founder and percussionist, and notes that beyond music he has directed films, created visual art, and overseen much of the band’s stage design and imagery.
For longtime fans, the revelation lands hard because Crahan has always been one of the clearest creative engines behind Slipknot’s world. He is not just the man behind the masks and visuals; he is one of the people who helped shape the band’s entire sense of chaos, symbolism, and performance. Hearing him talk so openly about a heart issue, and about how Slipknot still gives him purpose, makes this feel bigger than a routine health update.
Crahan ended up sounding determined rather than defeated. He made it clear the surgery should help, not end things, and he framed the whole experience as something he now has to deal with so he can keep moving forward. For Slipknot fans, that is probably the most important part: Clown is still here, still fighting, and still treating the band like something he has to keep alive.
