Singer-songwriter Matthew Sweet suffered a “debilitating” stroke while on tour in Toronto in mid-October, his manager confirmed on Wednesday.
To assist with recovery expenses, Sweet’s management company, Russell Carter Artist Management, posted a GoFundMe page this week.
“He is now on a long, difficult road to recovery,” Russel Carter said in a statement to NBC News. “He cannot perform for the foreseeable future.”
The 60-year-old Sweet, who’s best known for ‘90s alternative rock hits like “Girlfriend” and “I’ve Been Waiting,” currently doesn’t have “insurance or touring income,” the page reads.
Catherine Lyons, who represents Sweet for Russell Carter Artist Management and organized the fundraiser, wrote in the GoFundMe page’s description that “the doctors and hospital care in Toronto were instrumental in saving Matthew’s life, but health care is not free for Americans in Canada.”
Sweet must be flown back to the U.S. on an ambulance transport plane with medical staff on board, and then spend six weeks at a specialized rehabilitation center “where he will receive around-the-clock care and therapy,” Lyons said. She added that this will be followed by months of treatment and rehabilitation, estimating the total cost of Sweet’s care to be “close to a quarter of a million dollars.”
“Please donate financially if you possibly can,” she wrote. “Matthew will be forever grateful to you.”
As of Wednesday morning, the fund had raised over $150,000 from about 2,700 donors, including notable names like director Judd Apatow, musician John Mayer and R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck.
“Matthew has always been intensely focused and tenacious in all of his endeavors — not only in his recording career, but in all of his artistic and intellectual pursuits,” Carter said. “I am confident that his signature determination will serve him well as he focuses now on recovery to good health.”
Sweet canceled over a month of shows this month due to health issues, according to an Instagram post he shared. He had been opening for fellow ’90s stars Hanson at the time, and was preparing for his own headlining dates.
“Due to a medical illness and on doctors advice, Matthew Sweet must cancel all remaining upcoming shows with Hanson, and his own headline dates, from October 10 thru November 16,” the post read.
Sweet has recorded over a dozen albums since the release of his first, “Inside,” in 1986. His most recent was 2021’s “Catspaw.”
