John Farnham’s manager Gaynor Wheatley breaks her silence on whether the iconic showman will ever perform again following brutal mouth cancer battle
John Farnham’s manager has opened up about whether the iconic Australian singer will ever perform again following a brutal mouth cancer battle.
The You’re The Voice hitmaker, 75, underwent extensive surgery in 2022 to remove a cancerous tumour from his mouth, including one 12-hour operation.
Farnham’s manager Gaynor Wheatley and documentary maker Poppy Stockell sat down with Waleed Aly on Monday’s episode of The Project to talk about the singer’s new memoir, The Voice Inside, and asked the question on everyone’s lips, ‘Is he going to sing publicly again?’
‘He’s a singer,’ replied Wheatley.
‘I know when he got back in the studio doing the audiobook, he was like, “I want to get back, I want to go back.”‘
‘Whether he’ll perform again, I don’t know. But I’d certainly want to get him back in the studio.’
However, in a recently released excerpt from his book, Farnham seemed unsure about his ability to sing again.
John Farnham ‘s manager has opened up about whether the iconic Australian singer will ever perform again following a brutal mouth cancer battle. Pictured in 2016
The You’re The Voice hitmaker, 75, underwent extensive surgery in 2022 to remove a cancerous tumour from his mouth, including one 12-hour operation. Pictured with son Rob
‘My facial disfigurement from the surgery means I can’t open my mouth wide enough for a strip of spaghetti, let alone to sing,’ John detailed in an extract published in the Sydney Morning Herald.
‘I can’t get the movement to make the sounds I want to make, that’s where the vibrations and my voice come from. It’s a very disconcerting thing. And trying hurts.’
He said while he is still not yet able to belt out his trademark voice, he still has high hopes that he will one day be able to sing again.
Farnham’s manager Gaynor Wheatley (pictured) and documentary maker Poppy Stockell sat down with Waleed Aly on Monday’s episode of The Project to talk about the singer’s new memoir, The Voice Inside, and asked the question on everyone’s lips, ‘Is he going to sing publicly again?’
‘He’s a singer,’ replied Wheatley. ‘I know when he got back in the studio doing the audiobook, he was like, “I want to get back, I want to go back.”‘ Pictured with Poppy Stockell
‘I was given a gift and to be able to get out there and affect people in some way was special, I would like to continue doing that. Though I am not putting all my hopes into it, we’ll see,’ he shared.
John also said he believes the tumour came about as a result of his long-term smoking habit, which he eventually managed to kick.
‘Cancer doesn’t discriminate, but as soon as I was told the results, I couldn’t help thinking it was my own fault, I smoked very heavily all my life,’ he said.
However, in a recently released excerpt from his book, Farnham seemed unsure about his ability to sing again: ‘I can’t get the movement to make the sounds I want to make, that’s where the vibrations and my voice come from. It’s a very disconcerting thing. And trying hurts.’ Pictured in 2015
He said he started smoking at the age of 14 and would do so in secret after his disapproving parents once caught him.
His memoir has been co-written with Poppy Stockwell and will see Farnham tell his story in his own words and with his signature humour.
The book, slated for release on October 30, documents Farnham’s early life and stardom growing up in Melbourne in the 1960s, to his comeback 1986 album Whispering Jack.
His voice was heard for the first time since the surgery earlier this month in an extract of Farnham narrating his upcoming memoir.
Publisher Hachette Australia released a snippet of the book, with Farnham sounding a little more gravelly than before his marathon 12-hour procedure.
‘I don’t enjoy talking about myself, I really don’t,’ he said in the teaser.
‘Don’t get me wrong, I’m an egomaniac, but dredging up the past is just not something I’ve ever really enjoyed.
‘I’ll try and share as much as I can, but that’s not easy because I’ve never really been that open. I guess there are reasons for that. Reasons for my reluctance.’
