Gord Downie Diagnosed With Terminal Brain Cancer

Gord Downie is one of the most iconic Canadian musicians. Not just of a generation, but of all time. That is what makes the news that broke Tuesday morning all the more shocking, and deeply saddening. The Tragically Hip posted a statement that says a few months ago Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. At this point we are unsure how much time he has left, but we do know that he wants to do 1 more tour to say goodbye. Devastating news for his fans, but more importantly for his family and band. Read their statement below:

Hello friends. We have some very tough news to share with you today, and we wish it wasn’t so.
A few months ago, in December, Gord Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.
Since then, obviously, he’s endured a lot of difficult times, and he has been fighting hard. In privacy along with his family, and through all of this, we’ve been standing by him.
So after 30-some years together as The Tragically Hip, thousands of shows, and hundreds of tours…
We’ve decided to do another one.
This feels like the right thing to do now, for Gord, and for all of us.
What we in The Hip receive, each time we play together, is a connection; with each other; with music and it’s magic; and during the shows, a special connection with all of you, our incredible fans.
So, we’re going to dig deep, and try to make this our best tour yet.
We hope you can come out and join us this summer – details and dates will be coming this week.
And we sincerely thank all of you, for your continued love and support,
Paul, GordD, Johnny, Rob, GordS

UPDATE 9:14am

At a press conference from Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Gord Downie’s doctor Dr. James Perry gave an update on Gord’s condition:

Downie has an aggressive form of myoblastoma and a “primary brain tumour”, unfortunately Gord’s condition is an “incurable brain cancer”. He’s been fighting it since December 2015 and had successful surgery on the brain tumour, radiation treatment and chemotherapy.

Dr. Perry said it’s too early for a prognosis but doesn’t “anticipate any short term medical concerns” that will impact The Tragically Hip’s tour this summer, and gave Downie the go ahead to tour.

Downie is doing well and his physical and mental state have recovered to the point where the band has started rehearsing. Downie has asked for privacy during this time, and there won’t be anymore medical updates, he asks you “allow the band and the music to do the talking”.

Even though Downie has had a positive response to treatment, Dr. Perry says “Unfortunately one day it will come back.”

A tour announcement will come tomorrow morning through Live Nation.