Former Hüsker Dü bassist Greg Norton has been diagnosed with cancer, the musician has disclosed on social media.
“At the beginning of June, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer,” Norton wrote in a post on Facebook last Friday (July 1). “My doctors at the Mayo Clinic believe I have excellent odds, but we need to get in right away and move forward with treatment and surgery.”
Norton went on to say that his band, UltraBomb, has cancelled planned tour dates in the UK and would be postponing North American dates, in order to allow him “time to recover and return in full force”.
Friends of Norton have launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist with his medical costs. They hope to reach a goal of $30,000 – at the time of writing, the campaign has reached just over $28,000.
“We can’t imagine the stress and anxiety he and his family must be going through. One thing that’s for sure, though, is that the cost of treatment in the United States is eyewatering,” a statement on the page reads. “We want to help alleviate some of that pressure.”
Norton formed Hüsker Dü alongside Bob Mould and Grant Hart in 1979. Along with Mould and Hart, he remained in the band until its dissolution in 1988 and played on all six of their studio albums, from 1983’s ‘Everything Falls Apart’ to 1987’s ‘Warehouse: Songs and Stories’. In 2017, Hart died of complications from liver cancer, aged 56.
Norton’s new band, UltraBomb, also features Finny McConnell of The Mahons and Jamie Oliver of U.K. Subs. In Norton’s Facebook post, he reveals they will be releasing their debut album on July 15 via DCJam and will be performing one show, at the Hook and Ladder in Minneapolis, the following evening.