New York Dolls’ singer David Johansen has revealed he is suffering from Stage 4 brain cancer.
Johansen was diagnosed with cancer a decade ago and has kept the diagnosis private until now. Five years ago the cancer progressed to the brain.
Sweet Relief has announced a fund raiser to help pay David’s medical bills. https://www.sweetrelief.org/davidjohansenfund.html
His daughter Leah Hennessey posted,
There have been complications ever since. He’s never made his diagnosis public, as he and my mother Mara are generally very private people, but we feel compelled to share this now, due to the increasingly severe financial burden our family is facing.
To make matters worse, the day after Thanksgiving David fell down the stairs and broke his back in two places.
After a week in the hospital and a successful surgery David has been bedridden and incapacitated. Due to the trauma, David’s illness has progressed exponentially and my mother is caring for him around the clock.
To continue his treatment and give him the best chance of recovery, David and Mara will need full time assistance. As hilarious and wise as David continues to be, he is physically debilitated and his care exceeds what we are capable of providing without specialized professional help.
David has worked continuously as a singer and actor for the better part of six decades, to the delight of his fans all over the world. However for the past five years, David has been unable to work as a performer.
Our most immediate needs are full time nursing, physical therapy and funding for day to day vital living expenses. With professional specialized care, we are hopeful that David can regain some mobility and independence.
Johansen was the frontman for New York Dolls. He is the last surviving member. In the 80s he reinvented himself as crooner Buster Poindexter.
Johansen also dabbled in acting. He is best remembered as the Ghost of Christmas Past in Bill Murray’s 1988 hit ‘Scrooged’.
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