Preeminent Punk Guitarist Bows Out of Tour to Battle Cancer

Guitarist Billy Zoom, a founding member of the L.A. punk band X, has been diagnosed with bladder cancer and will bow out of the group’s current tour to undergo treatment after a run of shows this weekend in Orange County, it was reported today.

Zoom, A 67-year-old Anaheim resident, overcame prostate cancer in 2010 with a radical prostatectomy, and will begin chemotherapy next week, the band said in a statement quoted by the Los Angeles Times.

“In the music community, we all take turns helping each other,” his bandmates said in a statement. “Punk rock and benefits: you name the cause, and the bands and fans will be there. Now it’s our turn to help Billy Zoom, the wittiest, smartest, nicest, best guitar player & friend we know. We would do anything to help him get better, help take care of his family, and lessen his woes.”

A Support Billy Zoom’s Kick Cancer Fight at the GoFundMe website has raised more than $15,000 toward a goal of $50,000 as of midday Thursday, The Times reported.

Zoom vowed to see the band through a stretch of shows at the Observatory in Santa Ana that was scheduled to begin Thursday night and continue through Sunday. The band said it will announce a replacement for Zoom for the remaining shows of its summer tour.

City News Service

Photo: Wikimedia Commons