The Velvet Underground’s Lou Reed is recovering from a recent liver transplant, reports the Guardian. Reed’s wife, Laurie Anderson, told the Times of London, “It’s as serious as it gets. He was dying. You don’t get it for fun.”

Reed had been due to play Coachella two months ago, but had to cancel his appearance at the festival as well as a couple of other dates.

“I don’t think he’ll ever totally recover from this, but he’ll certainly be back to doing [things] in a few months,” Anderson told the Times. “I’m very happy. It’s a new life for him.”

“I am a triumph of modern medicine, physics and chemistry,” the 71-year-old Reed said in a Facebook post on Saturday. “I am bigger and stronger than stronger than ever … I look forward to being on stage performing and writing more songs to connect with your hearts and spirits and the universe well into the future.”