Australian music icon John Farnham has had part of his jaw removed during a successful but marathon-length surgery on Tuesday to cut out a cancerous tumour from his mouth.
In a statement released by his family on Wednesday morning, Farnham’s wife Jill said her husband was in a stable condition, recovering in intensive care in a Victorian hospital.
“John has been through an eleven-and-a-half-hour surgery in Melbourne yesterday and is now in a stable condition in ICU. The cancerous tumour was located in his mouth, and it has been successfully removed,” she said.
“There is still a long road of recovery and healing ahead of us, but we know John is up for that task.”
Earlier this morning, veteran entertainment reporter Peter Ford told The Morning Show on Channel Seven that part of Farnham’s jaw was removed in the surgery.
“There were two procedures that took places yesterday. The first one was the removal of the tumour from his mouth. After that was completed, the reconstructive team came in to take over and there was reconstructive surgery because part of John’s jaw had to be removed as part of tackling this,” Ford said.
Gaynor Martin, widow of the late Glenn Wheatley, told Today that the Farnham family have received the best news they can after John’s cancer surgery.
“John suffers from that male thing that says, ‘I am fine,’ but we have Jill to thank for forcing him to the doctors to get that lump checked out,” said Gaynor.
“The surgeons are the real rock stars; at one point, there were 26 surgeons working on him.”
While the prognosis remains unclear, Martin is confident that Farnham could be back to his best by the end of the year.
“By Christmas, we’ll be looking great, but I want this year to be over more than any other year.”
The singer’s family said they were “genuinely overwhelmed” by the support they had received from around Australia after they announced on Tuesday that Farnham had been diagnosed with cancer and would undergo surgery.
Nine entertainment editor Richard Wilkins said the 73-year-old was in good spirits and had been “cracking jokes with the doctors” before the procedure.
Meanwhile, heavyweights from the arts, music and politics lined up to send well-wishes to the ARIA Hall of Famer, whose diagnosis comes just weeks after the death of fellow music legend Olivia Newton-John.
During a press conference at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre on Tuesday morning, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews also wished Farnham well.
“I think everybody loves John Farnham,” he said. “He’s such a big part of our story, such a wonderful person, and we wish him and his family well at what is surely a very difficult time. I’m sure he’s getting first-class care. Our thoughts and prayers are with him, and wish him all the best.”
The pair performed together on a number of occasions, including at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
“The Farnham family send love and sympathies to Olivia’s family,” Farnham wrote on his official Facebook page at the time.
Dare to dream: John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.Credit: Fairfax
“This means so much to us as a family. Thank you to everyone for this. John will be blown away,” the statement said.
John Farnham with his wife Jill and sons Robert and James in 2018.
Farnham’s sons Rob and James also thanked healthcare workers who had helped the Australian singer through his marathon surgery on Tuesday.
“We are in awe of the incredible teams of healthcare professionals who have guided us through this very challenging time with such compassion,” the pair said.
“All of you undertook this big job and have given us a magnificent outcome. To all the surgeons, doctors, nurses and consultants – thank you one and all so very much.”
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