Rancid, Dropkick Murphys and AFI are among the bands, artists and fans who have donated more than $200,000 to a GoFundMe for Sick of It All singer Lou Koller following his recent cancer diagnosis.
As we reported last week, Koller was diagnosed with a tumor in his esophagus, forcing Sick of It All to cancel their European tour. A GoFundMe campaign was subsequently launched, revealing that the tumor is cancerous (adenocarcinoma), and many of his peers in the punk-rock community have made donations to help him with his medical expenses and loss of income while he's not on tour.
Of the more than 4,000 donations received so far, the aforementioned bands Rancid, Dropkick Murphys and AFI have made the largest donations, at $5,000 each.
Additionally, AFI frontman Davey Havok donated $2,000 on his own (under his birth name, David Marchand), and fellow scene veterans Hot Water Music and Snapcase each contributed $1,000 to the fundraiser, as did Obituary frontman John Tardy.
Lou's brother and bandmate, Sick of It All guitarist Pete Koller, organized the GoFundMe and posted the following on the page:
“My older brother Lou… has been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma cancer. He has a cancerous tumor in his esophagus. We, Sick of It All, have cancelled the remainder of our tour for the year and will not be touring until Lou is through this… As you know, touring is the lifeblood of a band like Sick of It All. If you could help him out, we would greatly appreciate it.”
Upon revealing the diagnosis, Lou shared a video statement in which he expressed optimism that he would hopefully be cancer-free in time for Sick of It All to return to the stage later this year.
“Thank you for all your support and I hope to get through this and see you at the end of the summer… or maybe winter,” he said.
To support the fundraiser for Lou Koller, please go to GoFundMe Page.
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