New York Dolls frontman David Johansen reveals stage four cancer diagnosis
New York Dolls frontman David Johansen has revealed he’s been battling stage four cancer and a brain tumour since 2020.
Johansen has been dealing with his health problems privately behind closed doors for a number of years, but after breaking his back in two places last November, the musician is now asking for financial help from fans.
Following the severe injury Johansen suffered shortly before Thanksgiving, he is now “bedridden and incapacitated”, as well as in need of “around-the-clock care”, according to a press release.
In a statement, Johansen said of his condition: “We’ve been living with my illness for a long time, still having fun, seeing friends and family, carrying on, but this tumble the day after Thanksgiving really brought us to a whole new level of debilitation. This is the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. I’ve never been one to ask for help, but this is an emergency. Thank you.”
To help the post-punk icon, the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund has founded the David Johanson Fund, which will pay for “full-time nursing, physical therapy, and funding for day-to-day vital living expenses.”
Johansen’s daughter, Leah Hennessey, has said that her father has been “in intensive treatment for stage 4 cancer for most of the past decade”.
Hennessey explained: “Five years ago at the beginning of the pandemic we discovered that David’s cancer had progressed and he had a brain tumor. 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.”
She also detailed why any donation to the cause will be vital, adding, “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.”
Sadly, Hennessey revealed that Johansen has been unable to work as a performer for the last five years due to his health issues. Notably, the former New York Dolls singer was recently the subject of the Martin Scorsese documentary, Personality Crisis: One Night Only, which is available to watch on Paramount+.
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