Survival Stories: 7 Musicians Who Beat Cancer
Russell Hall
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04.13.2009
Oftentimes it seems rock and roll artists live exalted lives untouched by the frailties and vulnerabilities that loom over the rest of us. But of course that’s an illusion. Through the years countless artists – often in their prime – have been stricken with cancer. Many have lost their lives to the disease, but others have survived and subsequently made it their mission to bring attention to issues such as early detection and alternative treatments. The seven artists below represent just a few of many who’ve overcome the disease.
Even before she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, at age 44, Sheryl Crow was no stranger to the disease – as both her ex-fiance Lance Armstrong and her close friend Melissa Etheridge had previously fought their own battles with the illness. Physicians caught Crow’s cancer early, and since undergoing a lumpectomy and radiation therapy, she’s been cancer-free.
Marianne Faithfull describes her 2006 breast cancer diagnosis as the most frightening thing that’s ever happened to her. Because her cancer was caught very early, doctors were able to remove the tumor without the need for subsequent chemotherapy or radiation treatments. While lying in a hospital bed in a Parisian clinic, recovering from the emergency surgery, she received a call from Mick Jagger – the first phone call she had received from her former lover in 35 years.
Levon Helm – the voice behind the Band classics “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” – was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1998. Doctors advised he undergo a laryngectomy, but Helm instead opted to have the tumor surgically removed, to be followed by a grueling regime of 28 radiation sessions. The treatments reduced his powerful tenor to a quiet rasp, but he now estimates that his singing voice is near its original strength. Helm’s 2007 album, Dirt Farmer, was widely acclaimed.
Legendary surf guitar great Dick Dale credits a health-driven lifestyle (no alcohol or drugs, and no red meat in nearly 40 years) for helping him in his battle against colorectal cancer. Last year Dale underwent surgery to remove a malignant tumor, with radiation treatment and chemotherapy as follow-ups. Fiercely optimistic, Dale has been delivering talks to patients at Cancer Foundations.
Kevin Hearn (Barenaked Ladies)
Barenaked Ladies keyboardist Kevin Hearn was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia – a form of blood cancer – in the spring of 2008. Following blood marrow transplants with his brother Sean Hearn as donor, plus chemotherapy, the cancer was forced into remission. A grueling ordeal, the treatments required that Hearn be hospitalized in strict isolation for one month.
Pop singer Anastacia underwent successful surgery and radiation therapy following her breast cancer diagnosis in 2003, when she was just 29 years old. Subsequently she established “The Anastacia Fund,” an organization that promotes awareness about breast cancer and emphasizes the importance of mammograms for women 35 years of age and younger.
Since winning her long battle with breast cancer, which was diagnosed in 1992, Olivia Newton-John has been a tireless advocate for self exams and better detection methods. To that end, she promotes a detection device called the Liv Aid. More ambitiously, plans are underway for the Olivia Newton-John Center, a facility at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, that will provide an array of complementary therapies for treatment of various forms of cancer.
Other musicians who have survived cancer include: Kylie Minogue, Peter Tork (The Monkees), Mike Peters (The Alarm), Melissa Etheridge
Notable musicians who died from cancer include: George Harrison, Bob Marley, Mick Ronson, Joey Ramone, Warren Zevon, Nat King Cole, Eric Carr (Kiss), Frank Zappa, Richard Wright, Sterling Morrison (Velvet Underground), Carl Wilson, Ricky Wilson (B-52s), Laura Nyro, Minnie Ripperton
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