Matt Shultz, the lead singer of Cage The Elephant, shared that he was suffering from a “mental health crisis” leading up to his arrest last year for possession of two loaded guns.
“It’s a miracle that I’m here today,” Shultz wrote in a statement posted to Instagram on Wednesday evening. “I was arrested last year, and it undoubtedly saved my life. After my arrest, I went to the hospital for two months followed by months of outpatient treatment. I can finally explain what happened.”
He continued, “Over the last three years, I was unknowingly fighting my way through an utter mental health crisis. In a short time, I had slipped into psychosis due to an iatrogenic response to a medication I was prescribed. It took the love and support of my brothers in the band, my community, and, most of all, my wife Eva to get me through it. Eva stayed by my side, and she saved my life countless times. To say she is a warrior and a queen is an understatement.”
The musician continued to thank his wife, Eva Ross, for her “unwavering love,” which “coupled with professional treatment helped me to regain my grip on reality and fully recover.” He continued, “Along the way, I learned a lot of hard lessons, and I thank God I was able to come out on the other side. I’m humbled and grateful for the opportunity to write this message. I owe my life to God and the support system of friends, family, and Cage The Elephant. I’ll just say it now once again, because it needs to be said, ‘Thank you.’”
In January 2023, the singer was charged with criminal possession of firearms after police found Shultz’s guns inside of his room at the Bowery Hotel in Lower Manhattan. Shultz avoided jail time by pleading guilty to three charges of attempted criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, and criminal possession of a weapon in exchange for avoiding time in jail.
“Matt has worked hard to put this case behind him. He appreciates the opportunity to prove himself,” his attorney Sanford Talking told Rolling Stone. “Nothing like this will never happen again. He can move forward in his life and with his music.”