Australian music icon John Farnham is recovering from 12-hour surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his mouth on Tuesday.
John’s wife Jill said in a statement on Wednesday morning he was in a stable condition in intensive care after the cancer was successfully removed.
“John has been through an eleven-and-a-half-hour surgery in Melbourne yesterday and is now in a stable condition in ICU. The cancerous tumour was located in his mouth and it has been successfully removed,” she said.
“There is still a long road of recovery and healing ahead of us, but we know John is up for that task.”
7News reported a source close to the family said Farnham also had to have part of his jaw removed and reconstructed.
Jill said the family was overwhelmed by support since they released a statement on Tuesday morning that the 73-year-old had recently received a cancer diagnosis and had been admitted to hospital for “surgery and ongoing treatment”.
The statement also included a message from John himself: “Cancer diagnosis is something that so many people face every single day, and countless others have walked this path before me,” he said.
“The one thing I know for sure is that we have the very best specialist healthcare professionals in Victoria, and we can all be grateful for that. I know I am.”
Music legend John Farnham has revealed he’s been diagnosed with cancer and has this morning been admitted to hospital for surgery and treatment. pic.twitter.com/NChs45cGYv
— Monique Hore (@moniquehore) August 22, 2022
John, wife Jill and their two children Rob and James requested privacy.
Farnham is best known for his belter of a track “You’re The Voice” released in 1986. Farnham has released 21 studio albums, 74 singles and 12 soundtracks throughout his career. He’s also won 12 ARIAs.
Farnham was close friends with musical legend Olivia Newtown John who died from breast cancer at age 73 earlier this month.
“The Farnham family send love and sympathies to Olivia’s family. Behind that iconic smile was a tenacious fighter. A beautiful voice and a loyal friend. She will be greatly missed,” the Farnhams wrote in a statement at the time.
