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 after 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 was subsequently launched, revealing that the tumor is cancerous (adenocarcinoma), and many of his peers in the punk-rock community have donated to help out with his medical bills and loss of income while off the road.
Of the 4,000-plus donations that have come in so far, the aforementioned bands Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, and AFI have made the largest donations at $5,000 each.
In addition, AFI frontman Davey Havok donated a separate $2,000 on his own (under his birth name David Marchand), and fellow scene vets Hot Water Music and Snapcase each contributed $1,000 to the fundraiser, as did Obituary vocalist John Tardy and Napalm Death singer Barney Greenway.
Lou’s brother and bandmate, Sick of It All guitarist Pete Koller, organized the GoFundMe and posted the following on the page:
“My big brother Lou … has been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma cancer. He has a cancerous tumor in his esophagus. We, Sick of It All, have canceled the rest of the year of touring and will not be touring until Lou beats this … As you know touring is the lifeline for a band like sick of it all. If you could help him, it would be greatly appreciated.”
Upon revealing the diagnosis, Lou shared a video statement in which he was optimistic that he would hopefully be cancer-free in time for Sick of It All to return to the stage later this year.
“Thanks for all your support and I’ll hopefully beat this thing and see you at the end of the summer… or maybe the winter,” he said.
To support the fundraiser for Lou Koller, head over to the GoFundMe page.