Beloved singer David Johansen has gone public with a stage four cancer diagnosis, a brain tumor and a recent fall the day after Thanksgiving that left him with a broken back in two places. The New York Dolls frontman is “completely bedridden and incapacitated, relying on around the clock care,” according to a statement.
Johansen’s family made the announcement in tandem with Sweet Relief, which is launching a fund in his name to raise money for full-time nursing, physical therapy and living expenses. “With professional specialized care, the Johansen family remains hopeful that David can regain some mobility and independence,” they said.
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“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,” said Johansen, 75, who was first diagnosed in 2020. “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.”
Johansen was most recently the subject of the 2023 Martin Scorsese documentary Personality Crisis, which chronicled his life as a teen in New York in the 1960s before he rose to fame with the Dolls the following decade.
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