GoFundMe campaign for Mars Williams
The hard-touring Psychedelic Furs are back out on the road right now, but without one of the band’s longest-serving members: saxophonist Mars Williams, who has been sidelined this year while he undergoes treatment for a rare form of cancer.
Musician friends of Williams — a jazz player who also was in The Waitresses and joined The Psychedelic Furs in 1983 — have launched a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of raising $100,000 to help cover medical bills, high drug costs and at least nine months of being out of work.
According to the GoFundMe page, Williams was diagnosed in December with ampullary cancer, which occurs when a tumor develops near a person’s pancreas and bile duct. He spent three weeks in the hospital following surgery in January, and in March began six months of chemotherapy.
“Despite these challenges, his attitude is totally upbeat, and he’s tackling this like everything else in his life — head on,” the campaign’s organizer, Chicago jazz saxophonist Dave Rempis, writes. “But he needs our support to make it through.”
The Psychedelic Furs wrote on Facebook: “We’re missing Mars Williams on tour with us this spring. Mars is in the midst of a serious battle with cancer. We hope you’ll join us in wishing him all the best for a speedy recovery as he continues treatment.”
If you’d like to donate the fund, head over here: gofundme.com/f/marswilliams.
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- The Psychedelic Furs to hit the road again this spring with 13-date U.S. tour
- The Psychedelic Furs plot summer North American tour with punk legends X
- The Psychedelic Furs release new song ‘Evergreen’ ahead of fall U.S., U.K. tours
- The Psychedelic Furs announce 28-date U.S. tour this fall in support of ‘Made of Rain’
- The Psychedelic Furs announce first new album in 29 years — hear ‘Don’t Believe’
