AceShowbiz - Scottish singer Edwyn Collins is glad he suffered no serious longterm effects from his stroke five years ago - because he would rather die than stop making music. The former Orange Juice star was struck down by two cerebral hemorrhages, and was left with an inability to communicate after falling ill.

He is still recovering from the stroke but has returned to the studio and is working on his next album, which will feature contributions from artists including Johnny Marr and Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos. And the star is so passionate about making music, he insists he would rather have died from the stroke than be left unable to write and record songs.

Collins tells Britain's The Sun, "Music is my life and my happiness. It gives me the energy to carry on. I would rather not have survived the stroke if I had lost the ability to make music. I've got nothing to be down about. I get better every day and I concentrate on what I've got back, rather than what I've lost."