Foreigner star Mick Jones has opened up on why he has been absent from the band's lineup during live shows in recent months.

At the time the band reported that he was suffering from complications from heart surgery, but now he tells ABC News there were other mental and physical complications.

"I'd had a virtual nervous breakdown, brought on by a bad prescribing of medication," he recalled.

"It was a very dark time for me. I literally didn't know where I was anymore. I didn't know who I was. I mean, honestly I never thought I'd play on stage again."

He adds, "I lost the ability to play chords briefly, only for a couple of months," he continued, noting that it wasn't until he found himself on the receiving end of some tough love from a sibling that he found his way back.

"My brother brought a guitar over for me and said, 'You play guitar. Play it. You're a guitarist. Play the guitar, you know.'"