Former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes has spoken publicly for the first time about his prostate cancer diagnosis, revealing he has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for treatment. The 68-year-old, who lives in Cannes, France, only went public after initially trying to keep the illness quiet, and his decision highlights the financial strain that inadequate insurance cover can place on musicians facing serious illness abroad.

Holmes told Canada's The Metal Voice that doctors spotted the cancer during a routine full-body scan linked to earlier throat cancer treatment, having previously dismissed his symptoms as simply "getting old." He said his insurance only covers emergency radiation costs, leaving him unable to afford scans, medication and travel to hospital, prompting him and T3RMINAL bandmate Brian Wheat to set up the fundraiser rather than face bankruptcy. Holmes noted the cancer is hereditary, as his father also had it, but stressed it is "100% curable," and said having previously endured seven weeks of radiotherapy for throat cancer helped prepare him psychologically for this new battle.