David Johansen Reveals Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis – Ultimate Classic Rock

David Johansen has revealed a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis that was discovered five years ago. The New York Dolls singer has kept his condition private but is now going public with his diagnosis.A statement notes that at the start of the pandemic in 2020, Johansen “discovered his aggressive cancer had progressed and he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, leading to complications ever since.”The day after Thanksgiving, Johansen fell and broke his back in two places. While the surgery was successful, Johansen has been “completely bedridden and incapacitated, relying on around-the-clock care.” The statement says, “To continue his treatment and give him the best chance of recovery, [Johansen] will need full-time assistance.”READ MORE: 5 Reasons New York Dolls Should Be in the Rock & Roll Hall of FameSweet Relief, an organization that “provides services and financial assistance for career musicians and music industry professionals,” has set up the David Johansen Fund to help offset some of the financial burdens the recent medical issues have placed on the singer and his family.The fund will assist the 75-year-old Johansen with full-time nursing, physical therapy and “funding for day-to-day vital living expenses.” With “professional specialized care,” the statement notes, “the Johansen family remains hopeful that David can regain some mobility and independence.””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,” Johansen said. “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.””Sweet Relief is honored to help David and his family during this difficult time in their lives,” said Aric Steinberg, executive director at Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. “Our Directed Artist Funds can provide a meaningful solution when the community rallies around the recipient, and we anticipate that David’s community will be eager to help here.”His influence on the musical landscape with the New York Dolls is indelible, and his career as an actor and an artist has touched many people around the world. He’s been knocked down but we’re here to help him back up with the help of his family, friends and wider community of supporters.”Johansen’s musical history started in 1971 when he cofounded the glammy, makeup-sporting New York Dolls in 1971. Two years later they made their self-titled debut album, produced by Todd Rundgren, which influenced the burgeoning punk rock scene.After one more album – 1974’s Too Much, Too Soon – the Dolls split; Johansen then launched a solo career that yielded four albums through 1984. In 1987, he began performing as Buster Poindexter, a slick singer who played swing, jump blues and novelty songs from an earlier era.The transformation led to Johansen’s greatest commercial success and a movie career that included appearances in Scrooged and Car 54, Where Are You?In 2006, Johansen resurrected the New York Dolls’ name with original guitarist Sylvain Sylvain and released three more band albums: 2006’s One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This (2006), Cause I Sez So in 2009 and 2011’s Dancing Backward in High Heels. Following a tour supporting the latter album, the group broke up.More recently, Johansen was the subject of the Martin Scorsese documentary, Personality Crisis: One Night Only.For more information on the David Johansen Fund, visit the website.Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci

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