Poison drummer recorded messages as cancer threatened his tongue

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 19 Oct, 00:26 · Archive

Poison drummer Rikki Rockett recorded messages for his children after doctors considered removing his tongue to treat throat cancer.

Poison drummer Rikki Rockett faced a terrifying possibility as he battled throat cancer: doctors might have to remove his tongue. After chemotherapy and radiation failed to stop the disease, the rocker began recording messages for his young children so they could remember the sound of his voice. 'I was recording pieces of information for my kids so they could watch it, because the next step was to cut my tongue out if they had to,' Rockett told Fox News Digital. 'I wanted them to know what I sounded like and my advice to them growing up.'

Rockett's weight dropped to 161 pounds during treatment. He expressed doubt that he would have survived the surgery and its aftermath. 'I would've most likely had a feeding tube,' he said. 'I don't think I would've lived much longer. It would've added another year or two.' He noted that while some people do survive such procedures and live for a long time, he believed his condition was unlikely to have ended well.

Now 65, Rockett says he has been free of cancer for a decade. The New York Post reports that an experimental clinical trial at UC San Diego helped him battle the disease. His memoir, 'Ghost Notes: My Life in Poison,' chronicles his rise to stardom during the 1980s and his health battle.

How it is being reported

• Poison drummer Rikki Rockett recorded messages for his kids as cancer threatened to take his tongueThe Poison drummer faced losing his tongue before an experimental clinical trial at UC San Diego helped him battle the diseaseNew York Post · 19 Oct, 00:07
• Poison drummer Rikki Rockett recorded messages for his kids as cancer threatened to take his tonguePoison drummer Rikki Rockett recorded goodbye messages for his young children after doctors discussed removing his tongue to fight throat cancer.Fox News · 18 Oct, 15:00

In this story: Rikki Rockett · Poison · UC San Diego

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