Television guitarist Richard Lloyd has been diagnosed with bile duct cancer and is seeking financial help.
The bile ducts are small tubes that connect different organs, including the liver and gall bladder and are part of the digestive system.
According to the NHS, it’s treatable but can be difficult to treat, which is what Richard is facing.
Friends have rallied support through a newly launched GoFundMe fundraiser as Richard is unable to tour.
The GoFundMe, created by his Richard Lloyd Group bandmate Sean Seymour, explains that the musician is dealing with “tumors in his liver, including one located dangerously close to a major blood vessel”.
Seymour says the tumour’s position means doctors would struggle to carry out an operation without causing damage.
Richard has already endured seven ICU admissions and repeated medical crises, including deadly sepsis twice, on top of liver and kidneys complications.
All the money raised will help Richard and his wife Sheila better manage the financial pressure created by his illness, covering medical bills, everyday costs, and the impact of him being unable to work while Sheila provides full-time care.
Seymour said: “Richard is currently unable to tour.
“For a working musician, that’s devastating, not only because performing is what he loves, but because touring is his primary source of income.”
He also pointed to “unresolved royalty issues going back roughly two years, creating another significant financial strain at an already incredibly difficult time”, adding that Lloyd is “being overwhelmed by crushing medical expenses”.
Seymour urged fans to step in, writing: “Richard has spent decades giving his music to other people. Now it’s our turn to give something back to him. If Richard’s music has meant something to you – if you’ve listened to Marquee Moon, seen Television perform, followed Richard’s career, or simply know and love him as a person – please consider donating. And if you aren’t able to donate, please share this fundraiser. Sharing it may be just as important as giving. I’ve been lucky enough to stand beside Richard on stage for the past four years. Right now, I’d like to stand beside him in a different way. Let’s help Richard and Sheila get through this.”
In his own message, Richard admitted: “I am usually a pretty upbeat person and I am taking this in stride, but it has become very difficult on our own and financially we are strapped. That’s why I’m asking for your help. If you can see your way clear to make a donation please do that. Otherwise, please pass it around to your friends that might help and people that know me.”
Already, punk rock legend Patti Smith has donated and Susan Tweedy, wife of Wilco leader Jeff Tweedy.
The goal is $80,000 (£58,690), and they are already midway to the target.
Alternative rockers Television were part of the 1970s New York rock scene.
In 2007, Richard announced his exit from the group due to illness before a Central Park concert. Jimmy Rip was his replacement for that gig and ended up taking his place in the band.
Frontman Tom Verlaine died in 2023, aged 73, and they’ve been inactive ever since.
