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Singer-songwriter Matthew Sweet suffered a debilitating stroke while on tour in mid-October, it was revealed on Tuesday, when a representative for his management company posted a fundraising appeal on GoFundMe to support his recovery.
Sweet had been out on tour opening for the group Hanson when he was stricken in Toronto, in advance of a date that was to have taken place there Oct. 13.
Catherine Lyons, who represents Sweet at Russell Carter Artist Management, posted the GoFundMe on Tuesday afternoon, with a stated goal of raising $250,000 for the rocker’s medical care. The effort got off to a good start. As of 6 p.m. PT Tuesday, about 770 individuals had contributed almost $50,000.
“Matthew Sweet, our longtime inspiration and dear friend, suffered a debilitating stroke this past week in Toronto while in the early days of a national tour,” Lyons wrote on the GoFundMe page. “He has been unexpectedly and tragically forced off the road and onto a long, uncertain path to recovery. We are asking for financial help in this difficult time from his family, friends and fans. Without insurance or touring income, Matthew faces an enormous financial burden.”
Lyons continued, “The doctors and hospital care in Toronto were instrumental in saving Matthew’s life, but health care is not free for Americans in Canada. He must now be flown back to the States on an ambulance transport plane with medical staff on board, to a specialized rehabilitation center, where he will receive around-the-clock care and therapy for six weeks. He will then require months of treatment and rehabilitation that we hope will lead to a full recovery. Needless to say, the costs for all of this treatment will be overwhelming. We anticipate a total close to a quarter of a million dollars. Your thoughts, love and support will mean the world to him. But please donate financially if you possibly can. Matthew will be forever grateful to you.”
Sweet had been out on tour with his acoustic trio, doing a mixture of shows opening for Hanson and headlining gigs. After first playing Oct. 1 in Des Moines, the musician began opening for Hanson on dates that began Oct. 3 and were to have concluded Nov. 10 in Los Angeles. Hanson was doing two nights in each city along the routing, with the first night being an unplugged show featuring Sweet’s acoustic trio as opener, and the second night being an electric gig with Phantom Planet as support. After the Hanson shows concluded, Sweet and his trio were to have done a few additional dates on their own, through Nov. 16 in Seattle.
Sweet’s timeline shows that his appearance in Toronto was announced as canceled early on the morning of the day he was supposed to perform there, March 13. The following day, all other tour dates were canceled, with an announcement going out that referred to “a medical illness,” without specifying the nature or severity of what had befallen him.
Sweet, 60, is best known for his 1990s albums “Girlfriend” and “Altered Beast,” which became staples of alternative rock radio, and he has gone on to record well-received solo albums up through his most recent release, 2021’s “Catspaw.” (He discussed that album with Variety here.) Sweet also recorded three popular albums of covers as a duet team with Susanna Hoffs during the years 2006-2013, labeled “Under the Covers Vols. 1-3.”