As a huge, lifelong fan of indie rocker Matthew Sweet, I was heartbroken to hear the news today that he recently suffered what his manager, Catherine Lyons, has described as a "debilitating stroke."
According to AV Club:
Matthew Sweet suffered a debilitating stroke in Toronto while on tour last week. Revealed in a GoFundMe fundraiser, Sweet was two weeks into a tour with Hanson when he was "unexpectedly and tragically forced off the road and onto a long, uncertain path to recovery."
The stroke occurred on October 13, just before Sweet was expected to perform in Toronto, where he has been receiving treatment. However, "health care is not free for Americans in Canada." Sweet now must fly back to the U.S. on an ambulance transport to a specialized rehabilitation center, "where he will receive around-the-clock care and therapy for six weeks." The GoFundMe continues, "He will then require months of treatment and rehabilitation that we hope will lead to a full recovery." The fundraiser is hoping to raise $250,000 toward his treatment.
Catherine Lyons updated the Go Fund Me today with the news that Sweet is now in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, where he will be undergoing rehabilitation and recovery for an "undetermined number of months in 2025." Lyons wrote:
We and Mattthew are overwhelmed with gratitude for the many generous donations and well-wishes from donors around the world in the last 48 hours. With your direct help, Matthew was able to check out of the hospital in Toronto and successfully return to Omaha on board a medical flight attended by two nurses with medical equipment to keep him stable. He was admitted into the rehabilitation hospital immediately where he is already being evaluated and tested so medical staff can prepare a more comprehensive rehabilitation plan this week. With each bill and test completed, we're getting a clearer picture of the total cost of Matthew's long, tough road to recovery. The funds raised to date will cover all of his medical expenses in Canada, the flight to Omaha and the first 28 days in rehab. We are raising our goal to $400,000 at this time with the hope that we can continue to cover Matthew's medical and essential monthly expenses while he remains in day to day rehabilitation and recovery for an undetermined number of months in 2025. Needless to say, Matthew will not be able to return to performing concerts anytime soon. Your contributions are profoundly helpful to Matthew – he is fully aware of your generosity and has asked that I convey his deep appreciation to all of you who have helped him.
If you're not familiar with Sweet's music, you must remedy that immediately. AV Club provides this brief bio:
Sweet was a primary figure in the power pop revival of the 90s, with albums like 1991's Girlfriend (which Paste included on their "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s" list) and 1995's 100% Fun. It's no wonder he's still on the road at 60. "Collecting art has been a very valuable thing for me in terms of thinking about what I do," he told The A.V. Club in a 2000 interview. "The more I can make things that make me happy, the more I'll be an artist with an identity."
You can find his Go Fund Me here, which, as of 8 pm Arizona time on October 23, has already raised $295,745.
It's disheartening, to say the very least, that a musician as stellar and influential as Matthew Sweet is having to raise money for medical bills, but the outpouring of love and support—monetary and emotional, from everyday fans as well as giants of the music and entertainment industries—has been heartwarming. I've been listening to Matthew Sweet regularly since I first heard his album Girlfriend—which is truly one of the best albums of all time—in the early 1990s, and I'm lucky enough to have seen him many times in the 90s. Since hearing about his stroke, I've been playing his albums nonstop, and have been feeling sad but also grateful to have his music in my life. Go show him some love (and money), folks.
