Written by: Alex Green
The Tragically Hip have revealed that frontman Gord Downie has terminal brain cancer.
The legendary Canadian band wrote the devastating news on social media, penning the following statement:
An Important Message From The Band: Hello friends. We have some very tough news to share with you today, and we wish it wasn’t so. A few months ago, in December, Gord Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Since then, obviously, he’s endured a lot of difficult times, and he has been fighting hard. In privacy along with his family, and through all of this, we’ve been standing by him. So after 30-some years together as The Tragically Hip, thousands of shows, and hundreds of tours…We’ve decided to do another one. This feels like the right thing to do now, for Gord, and for all of us. What we in The Hip receive, each time we play together, is a connection; with each other; with music and it’s magic; and during the shows, a special connection with all of you, our incredible fans. So, we’re going to dig deep, and try to make this our best tour yet. We hope you can come out and join us this summer – details and dates will be coming this week. And we sincerely thank all of you, for your continued love and support,
Paul, GordD, Johnny, Rob, GordS
Although details on the 52-year-old Downie’s condition are few, many questions will be answered today at a live press conference which will be held at 11am at Vaughan Estate where Downie’s neuro-oncologist Dr. James Perry will be taking questions from the media.
No band members will be at the press conference and Perry’s statements on Downie will be the final word–the band will not be doing interviews about the singer’s health and there will be no further statements on his condition once Perry speaks.
You can watch the press conference live here:
The Tragically Hip release their 14th album Man Machine Poem June 17.
Downie is reportedly on board for the tour.
