Art Alexakis has revealed that he has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
The longtime Everclear frontman revealed the news last night (March 26) in an open letter to fans on the band’s website.
“The words multiple sclerosis conjure up all sorts of images: Helplessness, wheel chairs, pain, misery, and worst of all, hopelessness — and pity in the eyes of my family and friends (you get the picture),” Alexakis writes. “I remember later that night my wife Vanessa holding my face in her hands, and telling me ‘we got this’, with not a shred of pity or fear in her eyes. I knew then that I wasn’t going to go through this alone.”
The 56-year-old musician says he received the diagnosis after what he believed were symptoms from a car crash three years ago. He went in for an extensive series of tests (a “ridiculous number of tests — more MRI’s, a spinal tap, over 50 blood tests, and numerous cognitive and balance tests”) believing he had a pinched nerve, and the results showed he had relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). The doctors said he had the disease “anywhere between 10 to 20 years.”
With treatment and injections thrice weekly, he expects to “live into my 80s without progression,” and his upcoming solo “Songs & Stories” tour — in which he shares the stage with Chris Collingwood of Fountains Of Wayne, Max Collins of Eve 6, and John Wozniak of Marcy Playground — is still on for this spring. It plays City Winery on May 28.
A new solo album, Sun Songs, is expected this summer. And he plans to pen a book about his life.
“The more I found out about MS, the more a lot of things started making sense,” Alexakis writes. “It explains why I have had balance and gait problems for the last 10 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 10 years ago. I thought it was just me getting older.”
He adds: “It’s been almost three years since that diagnosis, and MS has become another part of my life. I have done amazing things in that time — touring four full tours with Everclear, in addition to another 250 plus shows all around the world, and I’m still going strong. I have spent precious time with my family and friends; we bought a house that we love last year, and I have learned what the word gratitude really means.”
Read his full letter here.