Why Bret Michaels is Back on the Road: "I Fought Too Hard to Live"

Poison rocker and Celebrity Apprentice winner Bret Michaels has opened up about the series of medical emergencies that left him fighting for his life.

"It happened, I didn't die from it. That's the bottom line, I didn't die from it," Bret tells Samantha Harris on Entertainment Tonight.

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Just two-and-a-half months ago Bret suffered a brain hemorrhage, followed by what was called a "warning stroke," after which he had to regain the ability to speak and walk.

"I love being out of the hospital, and after you spend literally what was almost a month and half in two different — technically three different ICU units — I was done. I was like, 'I need to get out of here,'" Bret says.

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"It becomes extremely depressing, and what gets me up and going out there is making music and being around my family and friends. That's an awesome feeling."

The Rock of Love star is now promoting his new album, Custom Built, featuring his cover of the Sublime hit "What I Got," and he's currently on tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd.

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But has he gone back on the road too soon? "I'll be honest with you. I took every precaution," Bret says. "I wouldn't do it if I thought I was going to die. Like, I wouldn't do any of this stuff if I thought it was going to kill me."

"I fought too hard to live," he continues. "I want to show people I'm healthy. I feel great. I'm thankful for all the well wishes and everything that came my way, but let's get back to having a great time. Let's get back to rockin' again."

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Bret gave his first performance after recovering on the American Idol finale in May, singing his signature hit from his days with Poison, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."

Then last month on Good Morning America, he joined Miley Cyrus, who sings harmonies on his love song "Nothing to Lose," which caused some controversy when it first came out.

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"Miley and her family — Tish and Billy Ray and all of them — they've all been friends, you know, I've known them for a while. They've been out to our shows and my daughters have been to her shows...

"And Miley came in and sang a really, really awesome harmony to it. And it caused amazing controversy out of nothing. Like, literally, there was all this, you know, 'How can they be singing a duet together?' And I said, 'It's not a duet. She's singing harmonies.' "

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Bret says his own daughters, meanwhile, were "extremely excited" to hear his collaboration with Miley.

Meanwhile, Bret is writing his autobiography, "Roses and Thorns" and his new reality show, Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It, will hit VH1 in the fall, when Bret plans to be back in the hospital — to repair a hole in his heart.

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"I have a job I love," he says. "Let me tell you, if I had a job that I hated or it sucked, I would've milked that brain hemorrhage for another three years. I would've gone until the insurance ran out and said, 'Man I can't get up.' "