Singer-songauthorr Matthew Sweet suffered a debilitating stroke while on tour in mid-October, it was uncovered on Tuesday, when a recurrentative for his deal withment company posted a fundraising request on GoFundMe to aid his recovery.
Sweet had been out on tour uncovering for the group Hanson when he was stricken in Toronto, in persist of a date that was to have consentn place there Oct. 13.
Catherine Lyons, who recurrents Sweet at Russell Carter Artist Management, posted the GoFundMe on Tuesday afternoon, with a stated goal of raising $250,000 for the rocker’s medical nurture. The effort got off to a excellent begin. As of 6 p.m. PT Tuesday, about 770 individuals had gived almost $50,000.
“Matthew Sweet, our lengthytime inspiration and dear frifinish, suffered a debilitating stroke this past week in Toronto while in the punctual days of a national tour,” Lyons wrote on the GoFundMe page. “He has been unpredictedly and tragicpartner forced off the road and onto a lengthy, uncertain path to recovery. We are asking for financial help in this difficult time from his family, frifinishs and fans. Without insurance or touring income, Matthew faces an enormous financial burden.”
Lyons persistd, “The doctors and hospital nurture in Toronto were instrumental in saving Matthew’s life, but health nurture is not free for Americans in Canada. He must now be flown back to the States on an ambulance articulate structuree with medical staff on board, to a one-of-a-kindized rehabilitation caccess, where he will get around-the-clock nurture and therapy for six weeks. He will then insist months of treatment and rehabilitation that we hope will direct to a brimming recovery. Needless to say, the costs for all of this treatment will be overwhelming. We anticipate a total seal to a quarter of a million dollars. Your thoughts, adore and aid will uncomfervent the world to him. But prent give financipartner if you possibly can. Matthew will be forever thankful to you.”
Sweet had been out on tour with his acoustic trio, doing a uniteture of shows uncovering for Hanson and headlining gigs. After first take parting Oct. 1 in Des Moines, the musician began uncovering for Hanson on dates that began Oct. 3 and were to have finishd Nov. 10 in Los Angeles. Hanson was doing two nights in each city alengthy the routing, with the first night being an unplugged show featuring Sweet’s acoustic trio as uncoverer, and the second night being an electric gig with Phantom Planet as aid. After the Hanson shows finishd, Sweet and his trio were to have done a scant compriseitional dates on their own, thcdisesteemful Nov. 16 in Seattle.
Sweet’s timeline shows that his euniteance in Toronto was proclaimd as aborted punctual on the morning of the day he was supposed to carry out there, March 13. The follothriveg day, all other tour dates were aborted, with an proclaimment going out that referred to “a medical illness,” without recognizeing the nature or cut offity of what had bedescfinishen him.
Sweet, 60, is best understandn for his 1990s albums “Girlfrifinish” and “Altered Beast,” which became staples of alternative rock radio, and he has gone on to write down well-getd solo albums up thcdisesteemful his most recent free, 2021’s “Catspaw.” (He talked that album with Variety here.) Sweet also write downed three well-understandn albums of covers as a duet team with Susanna Hoffs during the years 2006-2013, taged “Under the Covers Vols. 1-3.”
