The Worst Year Of Yngwie Malmsteen’s Life

Yngwie Malmsteen has a prominent place in the metal scene as an inspirational guitarist. He initially gained recognition with his neoclassical style, a subgenre of heavy metal, in the ’80s. Throughout his over four decades of music career, Malmsteen released over 20 studio albums and appeared on numerous shows. Many music critics consider the musician one of the most influential guitarists of all time.

Significant artists like Ritchie Blackmore and Jimi Hendrix inspired Malmsteen. He played with the bands such as Steeler and Alcatrazz at the beginning of his career. While he has contributed to other rockers, he has also created his solo albums. The musician, whose achievements have always made an enormous impact, did not always have a perfect life. In 1987, Malmsteen lived through a year when bad experiences followed one after another. These incidents greatly affected both his health and his career.

Yngwie Malmsteen Had Rough Times In 1987

Yngwie Malmsteen enjoyed the achievements he gained after the release of his solo studio albums ‘Marching Out’ and ‘Trilogy.’ The albums placed themselves on the charts of various countries. The musician began to gain more recognition worldwide in the mid-’80s. He became known as a guitar master who pioneered the neoclassical genre. However, when the calenders showed the year 1987, Malmsteen began to experience ongoing events that badly affected his personal and musical life.

On June 22, 1987, Malmsteen had a severe car accident where he crashed into a tree with his car. He was in a coma for a week due to a blow to his head, and because of the damage caused, he could not use his right hand. The thought of quitting his career never crossed his mind, and he began to have physical therapy regularly.

Still, catastrophic incidents did not leave him behind. During the same period, his mother, the most significant source of inspiration for him, passed away due to cancer. In addition, Malmsteen realized that his manager was wasting his money while he was already dealing with his medical expenses. However, no matter what he went through, the guitarist did not turn his back on music and held on to life by creating.

Malmsteen made a successful comeback with his 1988 album ‘Odyssey‘ by staying on the Billboard 200 chart in the US for weeks. The album became the guitarist’s highest-charting release on the Billboard 200. Despite the difficulties he experienced, he did not give up and continued to impress his fans. Malmsteen released his most recent album, ‘Parabellum’ in 2021, and his fans are happy to see him still producing.