David Johansen, New York Dolls Singer and Actor, Reveals Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis and Brain Tumor

David Johansen, 75, is the last living member of the New York Dolls. He is also known for recording under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter and for playing the Ghost of Christmas Past in the 1988 movie Scrooged.

Leah Hennessey, Johansen's daughter, shared the extent of her father's health issues in a statement: 
"As some, but not many of you know, David has been in intensive treatment for stage 4 cancer for most of the past decade. Five years ago at the beginning of the pandemic we discovered that David’s cancer had progressed and he had a brain tumor. 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 singer and actor also released a statement: 
"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".

As the result of a fall after Thanksgiving, the musician is now bed-ridden and requires around-the-clock care, having broken his back in two places according to a report by Rolling Stone.

A fundraising campaign has been launched through Sweet Relief to help offset the costs of the singer's treatment. They created a special David Johansen T-shirt, available for purchase with all proceeds going directly to the cause. If you'd like to donate, here's a link to the fund:  https://tinyurl.com/49nhpe6z

The New York Dolls, which also featured guitarists Johnny Thunders and Sylvain Sylvain, bassist Arthur Kane and drummer Jerry Nolan, were a staple of the underground New York rock scene of the early 1970s. They were an influential force behind the punk revolution and, later, the glam metal scene.

In 1987, he released a self-titled album under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter. The single "Hot Hot Hot" became a hit through extensive airplay on radio, MTV, and other television appearances.

The following year he played the role of wisecracking Ghost of Christmas Past in Scrooged, which starred Bill Murray.