CHEAP TRICK Bassist TOM PETERSSON Is 'Doing A Lot Better,' Three Months After Open-Heart Surgery

CHEAP TRICK bassist Tom Petersson has opened up about his recent operation.

The 71-year-old musician underwent open-heart surgery three months ago, forcing him to sit down during the band's early April appearance on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert".

Petersson offered an update on his health while speaking to Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm doing a lot better, which is not saying much. I came out of the operation — I had open-heart surgery on March 1st, so I've been convalescing here at home, and I'm feeling much better and just following my doctor's orders. What can I do? Has anything come loose yet? That’s your biggest fear. I do not wanna have to go through that again — now that I know what happens."

Tom said that he felt "all these different things" after going under the knife. "It's a lot of psychological stuff that you don't hear about or think about — post-traumatic stress," he said. "And it's scary. It's kind of like being in an auto accident — you're not thinking of it that much at the time, and later you look back on it and you think, 'Holy shit. That was close.'"

According to Petersson, he "didn't have any problems in addition to" his heart issue, which was good. I was in good shape, and it was something they discovered unexpectedly," he said. "I didn't have any symptoms. But it was the kind of thing where without knowing about it, you would just all a sudden suddenly drop dead. I was, like, 'Okay. I'm in. Open-heart surgery? Sounds good to me.'"

Petersson is one of the three founding members of CHEAP TRICK — alongside singer Robin Zander and guitarist Rick Nielsen — who are still in the band. Drummer Bun E. Carlos stopped touring with the band in 2010 and was replaced by Nielsen's son Daxx.

CHEAP TRICK recently released its 20th studio album, "In Another World", via BMG.

Founded in 1974, CHEAP TRICK are an indisputable American institution, beloved around the globe for their instantly identifiable, hugely influential, brand of pop rock 'n' roll. The band are true pioneers with an unparalleled streak of certifiably classic tunes, from "He's A Whore", "California Man" and "Dream Police" to "Surrender", "I Want You To Want Me" and the worldwide #1 hit single "The Flame".

CHEAP TRICK's nearly five-decade career has earned them more than 40 international gold and platinum certifications, myriad awards and industry honors, featured appearances on over 20 movie soundtracks, and total record sales well in excess of 20 million.