John Farnham cracking jokes with nurses after mouth cancer surgery, sons say
Australian singing legend John Farnham is on the long road to recovery following his life-saving cancer surgery, his sons say.
The 73-year-old underwent a 12hour operation in August to remove a cancerous growth from his mouth.
On Monday, the singer’s sons Robert, 41, and James, 34, thanked his fans for their support and well wishes following his diagnosis.
“We thank everyone who took the time to write a lot of these amazing messages to us,” Robert Farnham told A Current Affair.
James Farnham said: “It was kind of comforting to know that Australia was behind him too and I know that he appreciated that. I remember when we first told him, he got teary. He never expects everyone to still love him. It was nice for him to hear that, thanks, everyone.”
The sons spent every day after Farnham’s surgery at his bedside and said they were not thinking about whether their father would sing again.
“It’s definitely not on his mind – he just wants to get better,” Robert said. “It’s a long road to recovery still … there’s a long way to go,” James said.
Now in a rehabilitation facility, Farnham is meeting new nurse teams daily and cracking jokes, according to his sons.
“It’s new people, a new audience. He’s a performer at heart and he’s always trying to make people laugh, make light of a bad situation, which is just who he is,” Robert said.
But it would have all fallen apart if not for Jillian Billman, his wife of 49 years, James said.
Robert said: “She is an amazing woman, and has been strong through this whole thing and held us together at times.”
Before his surgery, Farnham said a cancer diagnosis was something many people faced each day “and countless others have walked this path before me”.
His diagnosis came three years after he suffered a health scare and was hospitalised with a severe kidney infection.
Farnham shot to the top of the charts with his 1986 album Whispering Jack.
It produced one of the nation’s bestknown anthems, You’re the Voice, and propelled Farnham to supertstar status.