Jon Dee Graham, the Austin guitarist and songwriter who played in the beloved local punk band True Believers, slipped and fell in 2021, and doctors apparently did not notice a crack in his spine. In early 2024, he had spinal surgery, and a six-month recovery period meant he could not make money from playing gigs. But the procedure didn’t take, and in April, he had another surgery, then developed an infection. Today, Graham, 66, lies in bed for hours every day, taking antibiotics every 12 hours that cause nausea and chills.
“We got a call from the IV company: ‘We need up-front payment in the thousands before we’re able to deliver the medication,’ ” says William Harries Graham, Jon Dee’s son, an architect and singer-songwriter who is overseeing his care.
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Jon Dee has Medicare, but there are crucial coverage gaps — because the hospital discharged him, according to William, insurance won’t reimburse medication and other portions of his home care. So the family turned to the most reliable backup plan available to veteran, well-known musicians: fans. Jon Dee is also a painter, and William has been offering his artwork, comics and music through a zine-like Bear Cave Dispatch in exchange for online donations. It’s working — for now. “We were able to cover those initial medical expenses,” he says.
The guitarist’s story remains bleak — sepsis recently set in — but it speaks to the blessing-and-curse health-care reality that working musicians must endure as they age. As gig-economy workers whose incomes fluctuate across decades, independent artists often find themselves with few resources for medical costs beyond those covered by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicare or spouses’ employer plans. And if medical issues prevent touring, artists often have zero income. But musicians such as Jon Dee and rockers Matthew Sweet and Jesse Malin, as well as the late David Johansen and Gang of Four bassist Dave Allen, have recently tapped into loyal, generous fan bases through crowd-sourcing sites like GoFundMe and other grassroots fundraising.
At recent concerts, Gang of Four founding drummer Hugo Burnham has returned to the stage post-encore to request that fans buy merchandise to offset costs for Allen’s family. (Allen died at his home in Portland, Ore., in April at 69 after a long struggle with dementia.) “It’s no secret the cost of medical care in the U.S. is an obscenity,” says Burnham, 69, who fractured a bone in his leg during the tour but is covered through his job as a college professor. “Had he lived anywhere else, there might not have been this terrible burden on the family. We all know the stories of people who have had to rely on raising money based on the kindness of strangers — and it’s not just musicians.”
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Outside of the U.S. health-care system, musicians struggling with health care costs can tap into multiple resources — but they rarely come close to providing all the costs needed for severe, long-term health issues. After Chappell Roan demanded “a livable wage and health care” for artists during her acceptance speech at the 2025 Grammy Awards, music-business experts pointed out that musicians signed to major labels could access health-insurance plans provided by the SAG-AFTRA union for premiums comparable to the ACA.
In addition, Sweet Relief provides grants for artists and others in the music industry through fundraising concerts, donations and other resources. The 31-year-old nonprofit is a “stopgap,” according to executive director Aric Steinberg. In 2023, Sweet Relief helped Malin set up an online fundraiser when the veteran punk frontman suffered a paralyzing stroke in his back. “It’s unfortunate we have to exist,” Steinberg says. “Sadly, we’re busier than ever.”
MusiCares, a 35-year-old affiliate of the Recording Academy, raises funds through high-profile events like its Grammy Week Person of the Year benefit, which has recently honored the Grateful Dead, Motown Records’ Berry Gordy Jr. and Smokey Robinson, Joni Mitchell and Aerosmith. It has provided nearly $120 million in health-care assistance to musicians and music-business workers over time, including roughly $10 million overall to 9,000 people during the past year. “It is not unlimited support,” says Theresa Wolters, MusiCares’ interim executive director/vp for health and human services. “However, it is very, very substantial.”
These limits were evident to William, who says he has reached out to MusiCares on Jon Dee’s behalf for health-care funding with “no result.” Russell Carter, Sweet’s longtime manager, adds that MusiCares contributed funds for some early medical costs, but the charity has been “just one piece in the puzzle of solving his financial woes.” (A MusiCares representative says the charity can’t comment on artists it works with. Wolters adds: “We work within the realities of our nonprofit model and our commitment to equitable support across the community. In these instances, MusiCares is one part of the solution.”)
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Sweet, 60, suffered a stroke last October while touring in Toronto. After leaving an intensive-care stroke unit in a Canadian hospital, he returned to his hometown of Omaha, Neb., and has received treatment in a rehabilitation program. Although he’s improving, particularly his speech, Sweet’s main issue remains “coordination,” Carter says, and he can’t walk or play guitar or keyboard. He also has vision problems and is “generally wheelchair-bound in his home.” In addition, Sweet’s wife recently broke her leg, forcing the family to hire a full-time nurse — which is not covered through the singer’s ACA insurance or early Medicare.
Since Sweet’s stroke, his GoFundMe has raised nearly $640,000, which, Carter says, “paid for what can only be described as exorbitant medical expenses.”
Sweet and his team view the crowdfunding not as an indictment of the U.S. health-care system but a mass validation of fan loyalty and colleagues’ affection. Sweet may not currently be able to tour, but his decades of touring are paying off. “Don’t dismiss the GoFundMe,” Carter says. “It’s a vehicle for fans to contribute. These are people that would spend $35 to see Matthew if he came through town in a second, and if they can spend $35 to help Matthew — clearly, they did it, instantly. They’re willing to give back. That’s a very positive thing.”
