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Jim Kelly
Credit: AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes
NEED TO KNOW
- Jim Kelly recently suffered a stroke
- The Hall of Fame quarterback told reporters that he "spent a few days in the hospital," but is now feeling "really good"
- Kelly, 66, attended the ribbon-cutting of the Buffalo Bills new stadium
Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly suffered a stroke about six weeks ago, he revealed on Tuesday, June 23.
“I had a stroke, and I spent a few days in the hospital,” Kelly, 66, told reporters while at the ribbon-cutting for the new Buffalo Bills stadium. “But right now I feel good. Eyesight's not great. My hearing still sucks, but that's part of life. It's part of getting old, but I feel really good.”
He continued, “Scans have been clean and all. Everything's good, all good.”
Kelly added that his stroke occurred “about a month and a half” ago.
The retired Bills legend was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in his upper jaw in 2013 and underwent radiation and chemotherapy. In 2018, the cancer returned and he later had surgery to rebuild his jaw.
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Jim Kelly in 1992
Credit: Rick Stewart/Allsport/Getty
“You have to confront them head on,” Kelly told reporters about the setback at the time of his initial diagnosis, which happened eight years after he and wife Jill lost their 8-year-old son Hunter to complications of a genetic nervous system disorder called Krabbe Leukodystrophy.
Last year, the Kelly family faced another health setback after the birth of Jim and Jill’s grandson Beau.
In July 2025, Jim posted a statement on Instagram and revealed that his daughter Erin welcomed her first baby, a son, with husband Parker. While he explained that it was a time of "deep joy" for their family, he noted that it had also "come with unexpected medical complications."
Beau spent 38 days in the hospital before he was able to go home.
With the health issues seemingly in the rear view, on Tuesday, Kelly shared his excitement about watching games at the new Highmark Stadium.
“It’s going to be special, not only for the players, but imagine the fans in there, how crazy and wild and loud they’re going to get,” Kelly said. “And that’s what I’m looking forward to. I want to see how loud this stadium can get. And from what I’ve been told, it’s going to be unbelievable, but I don’t expect anything less.”
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