Through the years, Travis Barker has faced many health concerns including a plane crash and later a hospitalization shortly after his wedding to Kourtney Kardashian.
In September 2008, the musician was on a plane that killed four people and left Barker with third-degree burns covering 65 percent of his body. Following the scary situation, the Blink-182 member chose to not fly again and traveled only by car, boat and train.
Nearly 13 years after the crash, Barker attempted to address his fear of flying with the help of Kardashian. “I might fly again,” he tweeted in June 2021, one month before he boarded a flight on Kylie Jenner‘s private jet from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Barker later reflected on how his relationship influenced his decision to face his fears.
“I made a deal with her that she had just said to me, ‘I would love to do so much traveling with you. I want to go to Italy with you. I want to go to Cabo with you. I want to go to Paris with you. I want to go to Bora Bora with you,'” he shared with Nylon in September 2021. “And I said, ‘Well, when the day comes you want to fly, I’m telling you I’ll do it with you. I would do anything with you. And just give me 24 hours’ notice.’ And that’s what she did.”
Barker noted that he was still adjusting to the major life change. “It’s still something very new to me, but having something that gives me the strength and hope to be able to overcome things that were so traumatic in my life, it just says a ton,” he detailed. “She’s definitely that for me. I’m invincible when I’m with her. It’s just like I never dreamed, I never even considered flying again.”
In June 2022, the band member suffered another health scare when he was seen being transported to a hospital in an ambulance. According to photos published by TMZ, Barker was accompanied by his wife as they arrived at the West Hills hospital in Los Angeles. (Barker and Kardashian exchanged vows one month prior).
Barker’s close friend Kid Cudi took to social media to show his support amid the undisclosed health scare. “Travis I love u and im prayin for u,” the rapper tweeted as the news made headlines.
Scroll down for a breakdown of Barker’s health issues over the years:
The musician was in a plane crash that killed four of the six people on board. Barker and his friend Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein were the only two survivors. Goldstein died at age 36 less than a year later due to a drug overdose. After the accident, Barker suffered third-degree burns on 65 percent of his body and underwent 26 surgeries. Following a three-month stay at the hospital, he had to learn to walk again. “I was told I wasn’t going to run again because I had so many grafts on my feet, and there was even talk of me never playing the drums again,” Barker told Men's Health in May 2021. “As soon as I could walk, I could run. As soon as I could move my hands and my hands healed, I was playing drums. And now I’m in better shape than I’ve ever been.” Barker also opened up about how the incident caused him to stop abusing "hard drugs." “People are always like, ‘Did you go to rehab?’" he added. “And I [say], ‘No, I was in a plane crash.’ That was my rehab. Lose three of your friends and almost die? That was my wake-up call. If I wasn’t in a crash, I would have probably never quit." Shutterstock (2)
Blink-182 postponed their residency at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas after Barker was admitted to the hospital due to complications from blood clots found in both of his arms. The Meet the Barkers alum was also diagnosed with a staph infection and a skin infection called cellulitis. “I am recovering, I have blood clots,” Barker told E! News that same month. “I have, I think, like 30 in my right hand and arm and I have about 10 in my left so I’m just waiting for them to clear up. I’m on blood thinners.” Matt Baron/Shutterstock
Amid his health struggles, Barker was involved in a crash when a school bus collided with his car. “I was on the way to my son’s basketball game and a school bus ran a stoplight and totaled my car … it was pretty crazy. I’m really lucky everyone’s safe. Fortunately, there were no kids on the bus, just the bus driver. And my son and his best friend are all right,” Barker exclusively told Us Weekly. “It was just more scary than anything.” Mediapunch/Shutterstock
Three months after Barker's hospitalization, Blink-182 canceled their tour as the drummer continued to recover. “It is with a heavy heart to report that blink must cancel its fall mini-tour which was set to kick off September 8th on their way to headline Riot Fest in Chicago,” the band announced in a Facebook statement. “Medical issues have sidelined Travis per doctors’ orders. Trav’s medical team anticipated that he would be well enough by fall to tour but after recent checkups, they were not able to clear him in time for the scheduled run of dates.” Barker also took to social media to address the change. “I am doing everything I need to do so I can get back on the road as soon as possible,” he wrote in a separate statement, noting that "the risks associated with drumming are still too great.” Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock
“I went in for an endoscopy Monday feeling great," Barker wrote in a statement via Instagram Story shortly after his hospitalization. "But, after dinner, I developed excruciating pain and have been hospitalized ever since. During the endoscopy, I had a very small polyp removed right in a very sensitive area, usually handled by specialists, which unfortunately damaged a critical pancreatic drainage tube. This resulted in severe, life-threatening pancreatitis." He added, "I am so very, very grateful that with intensive treatment [and] I am currently much better." Kardashian, for her part, also opened up about the situation on social media. “Oh what a scary and emotional week it has been," she captioned her own Instagram statement. "Our health is everything and sometimes we take for granted how quickly it can change. Travis and I went in for a routine endoscopy together and he ended up with severe, life-threatening pancreatitis. I am so grateful to God for healing my husband, for all of your prayers for him and for us, for the overwhelming outpouring of love and support." ABC/WDTV
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