David Johansen has thanked fans for their financial support amid his cancer battle.
The New York Dolls frontman's daughter Leah Hennessey recently teamed up with the Sweet Relief Musicians' Fund to launch an appeal to help cover the costs of his medical treatment and care after he was diagnosed with stage four cancer almost a decade ago and is now bedridden after breaking his back in a fall last November, and the 74-year-old rocker has expressed his gratitude to those who have backed the campaign.
A video has been shared on the fundraiser's page, featuring David in a hospital bed alongside his wife Mara.
He said in the clip: “Hello everybody. I just wanted to thank you all for giving us a big boost here with our fundraising campaign, I guess you would call it.
“I’ve never asked for help in my life and lately Mara’s been teaching me the beauty of, when your chips are down, asking for help. That’s what I’m doing and it seems to be working out really marvelously.”
Leah shared the news of her dad's health issues in an Instagram post announcing the fundraising initiative.
She wrote: "David is a legend but he’s also my very real, very sick dad.”
According to Leah, her rocker dad has been in intensive treatment for stage 4 cancer for nearly a decade.
She added in a statement on the Sweet Relief charity site: “Five years ago, it progressed to a brain tumour. 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.
“The day after Thanksgiving, David fell down the stairs and broke his back in two places.”
He underwent surgery, and Leah added: “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.”
In a statement published by Rolling Stone, David 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 fundraising campaign aims to cover full-time nursing care, physical therapy, and daily living expenses.
Leah said: “With professional specialised care, we are hopeful that David can regain some mobility and independence.
“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 magic he’s brought into the world, please just take a minute to read this or share it. “Thank you guys as always.”
