New York Dolls’ David Johansen reveals cancer, brain tumor battle
David Johansen’s family is opening up about his secret health battle.
The singer of the punk band New York Dolls has Stage 4 cancer, which has progressed to a brain tumor, and a broken back, his daughter, Leah Hennessey, revealed in several emotional posts via her Instagram story on Monday.
Johansen, 75, is the sole surviving founding member of the ’70s punk band.
“As some, but not many of you know, David has been in intensive treatment for stage 4 cancer for most of the past decade,” Hennessey’s message began.
She revealed that “five years ago at the beginning of the pandemic,” they discovered his cancer had progressed and “he had a brain tumor.”
Johansen’s daughter said, “There have been complications ever since,” adding that her father has “never made his diagnosis public.”
Hennessey shared that she and her mom have decided to reveal his health condition “due to the increasingly severe financial burden our family is facing,” revealing they are launching a fund-raiser to help offset his medical bills.
Johansen had a setback months ago after taking a nasty spill down the stairs, his daughter shared.
“To make matters worse, the day after Thanksgiving David fell down the stairs and broke his back in two places,” she wrote. While he underwent surgery, “David has been bedridden and incapacitated.”
“Due to the trauma, David’s illness has progressed exponentially and my mother is caring for him around the clock,” Hennessey explained.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, Johansen said, “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.”
The punk rocker’s daughter revealed they partnered with the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. The organization provides financial help to those in the music industry struggling with health issues.
“With professional specialized care, we are hopeful that David can regain some mobility and independence,” Hennessey shared.
“David is a legend but he’s also my very real very sick Dad,” she continued.
“I know how dire so many of our situations are right now, and how much fundraising literally everyone is doing but if you love David or any of the magick he’s brought into the world please just take a minute to read this or share it. Thank you guys as always,” Hennessey concluded.
Besides being the New York Dolls’ frontman, many know Johansen by his alter ego Buster Poindexter and the 1987 single “Hot Hot Hot.”
He also played the Ghost of Christmas Past in the 1988 film “Scrooged” alongside Bill Murray.
