Someone in my family needs an organ transplant, and we’re worried they may not be well enough to receive one. I’ve found myself going down research rabbit holes about organ transplants and the various ailments, accidents, conditions or addictions which make them necessary. Because I also do this column, I decided to distract myself a little by looking into how many well-known musicians have had transplant procedures.
Greg Allman | Liver, survived seven years
Allman Brothers Band co-founder Gregg Allman received a liver transplant in 2010 after three tumors were found. He spent five months on a waiting list. Allman had suffered from hepatitis C, which he was public about. Five years later his liver cancer returned. He died from related complications in May 2017 at age 69.
Jack Bruce | Liver, survived 11 years
Cream bassist Jack Bruce lived a life fraught with addictions. As a result of dependencies on heroin and alcohol, he was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2003 and in September of that year underwent transplant surgery which was nearly fatal. Bruce’s body initially rejected the new organ, but he managed to recover. He played a few reunion shows with Cream in 2005, but didn’t return to full-time performing until 2006. He survived until liver disease took his life on Oct. 25, 2014.
David Crosby | Liver, survived 29 years
Singer-songwriter of The Byrds, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & (sometimes) Young, David Crosby was a legendary drug user, primarily freebase cocaine. He suffered from hepatitis C and received a liver transplant in 1994 — paid for by Phil Collins (the drummer, not the Trailer Park Boys character). Crosby also developed diabetes and heart problems. He died in his sleep as a result of complications of Covid in January 2023.
Natalie Cole | Kidney, survived six years
The singer was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2008, which led to kidney failure and regular dialysis. She made a public appeal for a new kidney and had a transplant in 2009. She died of congestive heart failure on New Year’s Eve, 2015. She had been diagnosed with heart problems following her transplant surgery.
Freddy Fender | Kidney and liver, survived four years
Tex-Mex music legend Freddy Fender was diagnosed with cancer and received a kidney from his daughter in 2002 and a liver transplant in 2004. His cancer still worsened and spread to his lungs. He died in October 2006.
Selena Gomez | Kidney
In September, 2017, singer and actress Selena Gomez received a kidney from her friend, actress Francia Raisa. Gomez, who has suffered from a myriad of ailments, was diagnosed with lupus sometime after 2012.
Phil Lesh | Liver, survived 26 years
Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh had a chronic hepatitis C infection which led to his liver transplant in 1998. He had subsequent, serious surgeries for prostate cancer (2006), bladder cancer (2015), and back problems (2019). He died Oct. 25, 2024 at age 84.
Jim Nabors | Liver, survived 23 years
Singer and comedic actor Jim Nabors got hepatitis B while on vacation in India in 1994. The infection led to liver failure. His friend Carol Burnett helped connect him with doctors in Los Angeles, and he underwent the procedure that year. He subsequently became involved with the American Liver Foundation. He died Nov. 30, 2017.
John Phillips | Liver, survived nine years
The co-founder and principal songwriter of The Mamas & The Papas, John Phillips received a liver transplant in 1992 as a result of years of drug addiction. He drew ire in the years that followed after being photographed drinking. He died of heart failure in 2001.
Billy Preston | Kidney, survived four years
The keyboardist and singer-songwriter’s illustrious career ended in convictions for fraud, drunk driving, sexual assault, drug use and drug possession. Billy Preston served 18 months in jail and became sober. As a result of hypertension, he suffered from kidney disease and got a transplant in 2002. He entered a rehab program in 2005 and suffered respiratory failure there, which left him in a coma from Nov. 21, 2005 to his death in June 2006.
Lou Reed | Liver, survived five months
Singer-songwriter and frontman of the legendary Velvet Underground, Lou Reed suffered from hepatitis and diabetes for years. He developed liver cancer and underwent a transplant in May 2013 but died of liver disease on Oct. 27 of that year at age 71.
Tina Turner | Kidney, survived six years
Soul diva Tina Turner battled numerous serious ailments for years. Her untreated high blood pressure since the late ’70s damaged her kidneys to the point where she suffered kidney failure. In 2013 she suffered a stroke and in 2016, was diagnosed with stomach cancer. She opted for homeopathic treatment, which made her condition more grave. Unlikely to find a donor kidney, she was offered dialysis and signed up for assisted death. In the end, her husband Erwin Bach donated one on April 7, 2017. She died in May 2023.
Stevie Wonder | Kidney
The 25-time Grammy winner received a new kidney in December 2019. It’s something he has been very private about, but he has said he went from feeling all of his 70 years to feeling like a 40 year old.
Of course, it’s not all good news. Such was the case with former Poppy Family lead singer Susan Jacks. The 73 year old Canadian singer-songwriter died in April 2022, while on the waiting list for what would have been her second kidney transplant. Her brother Bill — whose name is referenced in her 1969 hit Which Way You Goin’ Billy? — donated a kidney to her for her first transplant in 2010.
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Area Resident is an Ottawa-based journalist, recording artist, music collector and re-seller. Hear (and buy) his music on Bandcamp, email him HERE, follow him on Instagram and check him out on Discogs.
