R.E.M. Singer Nearly Died on Mountainside

He almost died at aged 14.

Michael Stipe, member of R.E.M. nearly lost his life aged 14 when he was stranded on a mountaintop, and hypothermia set in.

The rocker reveals he got lost on a Boy Scout trip and the cold and wet weather made him seriously ill.

He told the New York Post, "I nearly died at 14. I was a Boy Scout lost on top of a mountain. It was very cold, wet and horrific. My father thought I was dead. First stage of hypothermia is uncontrollable shivers. Then, hallucinations. Then you fall asleep - then you're gone. I had the first two stages."

And Stipe admits the incident scarred him for life as it left him nervous of the outdoors.

He adds, "When I got home I went inside and almost never came out. I've since developed a fear of the outdoors."