Josh Homme says hitting rock bottom was the ''best thing that could ever happen'' to him for his career and his life.

The Queens Of The Stone Age frontman battled depression while he was bedridden for four months after routine knee surgery went wrong in 2010, resulting in him nearly dying, and he admits he could only get better after feeling ''completely lost'' following the traumatic period in his life.

The 40-year-old musician - who was de-fibrillated and brought back to life at one stage - said: ''It was the hardest three years of my life. I was failing over and over, trying to figure out stuff, feeling a little insecure.

''But three years of failure was the best thing that could ever happen, because you go, 'S**t, there's nowhere to go but up.

''I felt sorry for myself. I felt like someone cut my tether and I was completely lost.''

But Josh thrives on overcoming a challenge to become a better person and was confident he would be able to bounce back from his near-death experience.

He added to Classic Rock magazine: ''It was the best thing that could ever happen because all I really need is insurmountable odds and I'm happy.

''I need something that I feel can make me grow. And even if it's that, getting out of complete failure, I'm down with it.''