In a post on the band's website, Everclear frontman Art Alexakis has announced he was diagnosed with a form of multiple sclerosis three years ago following a car accident. According to the letter, doctors believe he'd had the disease for "anywhere between 10 to 20 years." He also opens to fans and friends about his journey and thought process connecting the dots between his symptoms and his diagnosis.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A message from Art to fans and friends...<a href="https://t.co/bMpndbvqG0">https://t.co/bMpndbvqG0</a> <a href="https://t.co/SqLusPeM9q">pic.twitter.com/SqLusPeM9q</a></p>— Everclear (@EverclearBand) <a href="https://twitter.com/EverclearBand/status/1110662714412535808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2019</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
"The more I found out about MS, the more a lot of things started making sense," he writes. "It explains why I have had balance and gait problems for the last ten years, it helps explain why I have had a higher sensitivity to heat and cold, and why I don’t have the energy, vigor, and razor sharp memory that I had ten years ago. I thought it was just me getting older."
Alexakis has been sober for almost 30 years, something he addresses in his letter directly.
“One of the reasons I wanted to be more public about my disease is that I have been hearing a lot of people say that I am drinking again or back on drugs because they have seen me look unsteady on stage or around town,” Alexakis says. “So, if you see me stumbling… sweaty, looking both tired and anxious at the same time, maybe a little more confused than usual, or forgetting lyrics yet looking happy (which is weird for me), please know that I have not fallen off the wagon. I am just learning how to be the new me.”
The letter also reveals he is currently finishing up his first solo album, Sun Songs, which he says will be out early summer, and he's plotting his Songs And Stories solo tour to start May 1, "joined by three other singer-songwriters that I respect and admire."
After that, he plans to, "finally start writing the book people have been telling me to write for the last 20 years…I think it’s about time!"
Back on the medical front, the news is heavy yet promising. "All that said," he writes, after describing how his recent performances have been challenging but successful. "I can feel the disease slowly growing in me. I now have to give myself injections three times a week. My neurologist says as long as I stay on the medication, I should live into my 80’s without progression. We shall see."
Report: Musicians More Likely To Struggle With Mental Health & Substance Abuse
