Matt Pinfield, best known as the former host of MTV’s 120 Minutes, suffered a massive stroke on January 6th, according to legal documents filed by his daughter Jessica, per TMZ.
News that Pinfield experienced a medical event first surfaced a few weeks ago after Los Angeles radio station KCSN told listeners, “The SoCal Sound’s legendary DJ Matt Pinfield will be taking a temporary leave of absence. We are fully supportive of Matt and hope to have his energetic knowledge of rock n’ roll back on the air soon.”
In addition to his gig on KCSN, the 63-year-old Pinfield hosts a Sunday night show on LA’s KLOS radio station and is also a co-host of the AXS TV show The Power Hour. He was the host of MTV’s influential alt-rock show 120 Minutes from 1995 through 1999, and again on MTV2’s revival of the program from 2011 to 2013.
As TMZ reports, Pinfield’s daughter Jessica filed for a temporary conservatorship over her father, requesting that she handle his health and financial concerns. In the paperwork, she claims that Pinfield is currently incompetent to make any such decisions regarding those aspects of his life, and that she’s worried that Pinfield’s girlfriend will withdraw money from his bank accounts.
Back in 2018, Pinfield was hospitalized after being hit by a car while he was crossing the street, suffering a broken leg and multiple lacerations.
In an Instagram post on January 6th, likely just before he suffered the stroke, Pinfield shared a photo of himself in front of a video camera, writing, “Starting another week with gratitude for a life surrounded by great people, life changing music, and unforgettable experiences that I never take for granted. Here to another week-another day-open heart and open mind. Let’s rock!”
A photo from the night before apparently shows Pinfield in attendance at Marilyn Manson’s birthday party, which was also attended by Billy Corgan, Richard Patrick, Ronnie Radke, and others.
Several musicians and peers have sent well wishes to Pinfield, who is known for his encyclopedic musical knowledge and for helping to break a number of bands throughout his career.
Singer-songwriter and Marvelous 3 frontman Butch Walker posted a photo of Pinfield on Instagram, writing, “Matt is a legend in the music business, he can school ANYONE in rock n roll trivia, and he is a helluva wonderful human. Matt suffered a severe stroke recently and has been in the hospital for weeks now. I’m not asking you for anything. I’m just asking you to keep him in your thoughts.”
Our thoughts go out to Matt Pinfield during this difficult time, with hopes that he experiences a full recovery.