LA Radio: Matt Pinfield On the Rebound

Matt Pinfield

Well-known radio and television personality Matt Pinfield, has made a remarkable turnaround after a serious health scare. 

On January 6, 2025, the 63-year-old former MTV VJ and SiriusXM host suffered a massive stroke in Los Angeles, which led to a two-month coma and left him hospitalized in critical condition. As of March 13, 2025, reports confirm that Pinfield has awakened from the coma, been released from the ICU, and is now recovering in a rehabilitation center in Los Angeles, with optimism surrounding his prognosis.

Pinfield’s stroke was severe enough to render him “incapacitated,” according to court documents filed by his daughter Jessica Pinfield in late January. She described him as being in “poor” physical health, unable to make cognitive decisions or move independently, prompting her to seek a temporary conservatorship over his medical and financial affairs. The initial outlook was grim—doctors reportedly doubted he would speak or walk again, and friends visited him in the hospital fearing it might be their last time seeing him alive.

The stroke came as a shock, occurring just hours after Pinfield posted an upbeat message on Instagram. The suddenness of the event underscored his vulnerability despite a career marked by resilience through past challenges, including a 2018 accident where he was hit by a car and a long battle with drug addiction.

By mid-February, signs of hope emerged. Pinfield’s girlfriend, Kara Brown, and his brother, Glenn Pinfield, reported that he was communicative during hospital visits—singing along to music played on a portable turntable and speaking in full sentences at times. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Pinfield himself declared, “Guys, I’m alive!”—a testament to his fighting spirit.

Currently, he’s in a Los Angeles rehabilitation center, focusing on regaining his strength. He’s eyeing a hospital discharge by the end of March, with plans to continue recovery through outpatient care.

Pinfield’s career is a tapestry of rock and roll influence. From spinning records at New Jersey’s Melody Bar in the 1980s to hosting MTV’s 120 Minutes in the ‘90s—where he introduced countless alternative acts to mainstream audiences—he became a cultural tastemaker. His later roles at SiriusXM, SoCal Sound, and KLOS, plus stints like co-hosting AXS TV’s The Power Hour, cemented his status as a music authority. Past health setbacks, like the 2018 car accident that broke his leg and required him to relearn walking, only deepened his gratitude for life, a sentiment he echoed in a 2021 X post.