Australian music icon John Farnham has been diagnosed with cancer, and is set to undergo treatment in a Victorian hospital. 

The singer’s family – wife Jill and sons Robert and James – confirmed the diagnosis in a statement: “We have recently discovered that John has a cancerous growth. He has been admitted to hospital this morning for surgery and ongoing treatment.”

John also added his own statement through a PR agency. “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.”

The statement didn’t go into any further detail about Farnham’s situation, and the media have been requested to “respect the family’s privacy at this time.” Everyone at Tone Deaf wishes Farnham the best.

One of Australia’s finest singers, Farnham last released an album in 2016 with Friends for Christmas, a collaboration with the late, great Olivia Newton-John. The album reached top spot on the ARIA Albums Chart, going on to be certified platinum twice.

After the Grease icon passed away earlier this month, footage of a wonderful Newton-John and Farnham duet went viral: they performed onstage together a the Fire Fight Australia concert in Sydney in February 2020, duetting on ‘Two Strong Hearts’. The track featured on Farnham’s 13th studio album, 1988’s Age of Reason, and the track reached number six on the ARIA Singles Chart that year.

Alongside artists like Queen and Adam Lambert, Delta Goodrem, and Guy Sebastian, Newton-John and Farnham’s efforts helped the concert raise over $9 million for the bush fire appeal.

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