Vince Neil is opening up about a terrifying health battle … revealing he suffered a stroke in his sleep on Christmas that left him unable to walk.

The Mötley Crüe frontman detailed the scary ordeal in a new interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, saying, “My whole left side went out … I had to learn to walk again, and that was tough.” Doctors even told Neil he might never perform again, but he refused to accept that fate. “I go, ‘No, no, I’m gonna do it. Watch and see.'”

Back in March, the band postponed their Vegas residency, citing a “medical procedure.” Neil now confirms the break was to focus on his recovery. He spent months in physical therapy at his Nashville home with former girlfriend Rain Hannah Andreani.

Vince says he went from being carried to the bathroom, to a wheelchair, then a walker, then a cane and now he’s finally back on his feet, even running again, thanks to training sessions with a local football coach.

“It takes a while to get your brain to start moving your legs … you try to walk but it doesn’t come out right,” he said. Still, Neil says he’s “90-95-percent” back to where he was just in time for the Crüe’s rescheduled residency.