Mark Hoppus reflects on his cancer battle: “I really thought I wasn’t going to make it”
Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus was diagnosed with cancer in 2021 and the singer has now opened up about “brutal” treatment that left him fearing for his life.
Appearing as a surprise guest on the Chris Moyles Show on Radio X on May 1st, the bassist revealed that within three days of noticing he had a lump in his shoulder, he underwent his first round of chemotherapy.
“My doctor told me, the good news is that I had a 60 per cent chance of getting through it and never having to deal with it again,” he told the hosts. “But the bad part was that the chemo is one of the worst that you could undergo. And I did, I had all the stuff. I was sick, my hair fell out. It was bad. I don’t recommend it. Zero out of five stars!”
The turmoil didn’t just impact him physically. Hoppus said it was “pretty dark” and that he “really thought I wasn’t going to make it.” He then reflected on his family and how their involvement in his life made the situation more harrowing. I was mentally preparing for, you know, my family moving on, and what my wife was going to do after I was gone, and who was going to help raise my son and all that kind of stuff.”
Thankfully, the musician made it to the other side. But Hoppus talked of the incredulousness with which he approached his own recovery, noting moments of sustained disbelief, revealing, “When I was in remission, and my first cancer scan came back clear, I was like, ‘Well, what do I do now?’ And he’s like, ‘Go live your life.’”
Previously, Hoppus has also noted how his diagnosis of lymphoma led to his reconciliation with Tom DeLonge, with whom he had become distant since the band’s decline. Owing to their reinstated closeness, DeLonge rejoined the pop-punk trio in 2022 and followed it up the next year with the release of their album One More Time.
Hoppus has also opened up about his struggles in a new memoir, titled Fahrenheit-182: A Memoir, which is out now.
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