As I Lay Dying singer hospitalized after bonfire accident

The frontman for a San Diego-based Christian rock band, who went to prison in 2014 for trying to have his wife killed, was hospitalized last weekend after he was accidently burned while trying to light a bonfire.

In an Instagram post Wednesday, As I Lay Dying singer Tim Lambesis said he had been hospitalized Saturday. The 40-year-old shared a photo of himself in a hospital bed, trying to give a thumbs up about a half-hour before heading into surgery.

He also explained what had happened: “The entire gas cap fell off when trying to use a little from the trickle tip to get a bonfire started. Gas got all over my clothes and I ended up burning 25% of my body.”

The singer for the Grammy-nominated group did not say where the accident happened, but said he was in a burn center, and likely would remain there for a couple weeks.

“I will try to update on my recovery. It will be a long road, but I will get back to full strength eventually,” Lambesis wrote.

In 2013, Lambesis was arrested while trying to hire a hitman to kill his estranged wife. During a meeting in Oceanside, the then-32-year-old handed the operative an envelope containing cash, his estranged wife’s address and the gate security codes.

But the hitman he knew as “Red” was an undercover police officer.

The following year, Lambesis pleaded guilty in Vista Superior Court to a felony charge of solicitation to murder and was sentenced to six years in prison. He was released in late 2016 and later issued an online apology.

As I Lay Dying reunited and performed in 2018, and last year released a new album, “Shaped by Fire.” On their Facebook page last month, the band announced it was canceling early 2021 tour dates in light of the global pandemic.