A GoFundMe has been started to support Television guitarist Richard Lloyd, who has been diagnosed with bile duct cancer.
Sean Seymour, who plays bass in Lloyd’s solo project, has set up the page. He’s raising funds to help cover Lloyd’s medical expenses, as he reveals the extent of his condition.
“He has tumors in his liver, including one located dangerously close to a major blood vessel,” Seymour writes. “Because of its location, doctors cannot safely operate to remove it at this time.”
He adds that Lloyd has been through “an extraordinary amount” in recent months, including seven spells in the ICU dealing with “serious complications, including sepsis twice”, and issues with his liver and kidneys. His health has also forced him off the road.
Seymour continues, “For a working musician, that’s devastating – not only because performing is what he loves, but because touring is his primary source of income.”
Lloyd’s wife has since become his full-time carer, and “unresolved royalty issues dating back roughly two years” have created mounting financial worries. A GoFundMe target of $80,000 has been set, and just shy of $69,000 has been raised at the time of writing.
Television’s 1977 debut album, Marquee Moon, is seen as a landmark moment in punk’s evolution, as Lloyd swapped power chords for jazz-tinted complexity and showed another side of the genre. It helped define a decade of post-punk, new wave, and indie rock bands, and is now hailed as a classic.
Away from Television, Lloyd befriended Led Zeppelin, sat in with John Lee Hooker, and become a celebrated solo artist, all of which he opened up about in a career-spanning Guitar World interview back in January. His relationship with Television bandmate Tom Verlaine was also discussed.
“I am usually a pretty upbeat person, and I am taking this in stride, but it has become very difficult on our own; financially, we are strapped,” Lloyd writes. “That’s why I’m asking for your help.”
Seymour concludes his post with a call to arms: “Richard has spent decades giving his music to other people. Now it’s our turn to give something back to him.”
Those who want to share the fundraiser or donate can find more information on GoFundMe.
