New York Dolls co-founder and punk icon David Johansen has shocked fans with the revelation that he has a brain tumour and stage four cancer.
The news first broke via a Sweet Relief Fund in the 75-year-old’s name seeking to raise money for his treatment and ongoing care.
Leah Hennessey, the singer’s daughter, revealed the extent of her 75-year-old father’s health issues on the site.
She wrote: ‘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 continued, sharing that her father incurred additional medical fees after falling down the stairs in November and breaking his back in two places.
The incident forced the punk icon to stay in the hospital for an extended period of time and caused his previous condition to worsen quickly, meaning his wife has become his full time carer.
Leah wrote: ‘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.’
She added: ‘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.’
Johansen himself also released a statement that reads: ‘We’ve been living with my illness for a long time, still having fun, seeing friends & 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.’
The New York Dolls first formed in New York City in 1971.
They were peers of Velvet Underground and the Stooges, making them some of the earliest pioneers in punk music.
In the years after their first two albums – New York Dolls (1973) and Too Much Too Soon (1974) – they reached cult status, with fans all over the world seeking out their records and brandishing their merch.
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