Legendary house music singer Kathy Brown has been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer – with the disease spreading to her brain.
Brown, 63, known for songs including Turn Me Out (Turn to Sugar) and Strings of Life (Stronger on My Own) was diagnosed late last year after being being admitted to ICU in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina.
Doctors performed surgery to try and reduce swelling on Brown’s brain – with the star currently undergoing a course of radiotherapy and immunotherapy.
Kathy’s daughter Chanta Joyner has set up a GoFundMe to fund medical expenses and monthly bills for the family.
Chanta wrote: ‘As the news is only just sinking in we are already facing the harsh reality of what this means for my mother – not only the physical and medical challenges but also the many financial ones.
Legendary house music singer Kathy Brown has been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer – with the disease spreading to her brain
Brown, 63, known for songs including Turn Me Out (Turn to Sugar) and Strings of Life (Stronger on My Own) was diagnosed late last year after being being admitted to ICU in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina
‘Like most artists who have devoted their careers to dance music, without being able to perform LIVE there’s little to no chance of earning an income. My mother has poured her heart and soul onto stages and dance floors all over the world for more than thirty years, and now she needs your love and support more than ever.
‘My siblings and I are going to do everything we can to take care of her, but the costs we are facing with medical expenses and monthly bills is overwhelming.
‘My mom deserves the best care and comfort that money can buy. I know that she has thousands of fans all over the world who adore her voice and her beautiful spirit.
‘Please consider contributing to assist Kathy and get her through the weeks and months ahead. The London-based record label ‘Revival’ that she has recently been working with have offered to match contributions up to $10,000.
‘Let’s show my mom that the dance music community really is an extended family who keep each other lifted not only in the good times, but the hard times too. Thank you for the love, support and many messages that you have been posting and sending to Kathy. I promise you that she sees every single one, and they mean so very much to her.
It has already raised nearly $25,000.
To further aid the fundraising effort, Toolroom have also announced a charity single from Wh0, Mark Knight & James Hurr featuring Kathy’s iconic vocals, Turn Me Deeper, which be released on January 19.
Brown originally found fame as the chart-topping lead singer of the group Praxis before having US dance hits on her own.
Brown, 63, known for songs including Turn Me Out (Turn to Sugar) and Strings of Life (Stronger on My Own) was diagnosed late last year after being being admitted to ICU in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina
In 1999 she climbed to #4 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart with Joy and in 2004 was the credited lead vocalist on the British act Soul Central’s Strings Of Life (Stronger On My Own), a track that samples Rhythm Is Rhythm’s 1989 House classic.
Over the years she featured on dozens of house and club singles.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the US. It is detected using a low-dose computed tomography scan (CT scan).
One in six people will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime, and more than 127,000 lives are lost annually.
A recent report by the ACS found that young women are suffering higher rates of lung cancer than men.
Men were nearly twice as likely as women to develop the disease in the 1980s, driven by higher smoking rates and workplace exposure to substances like asbestos.
But with declining cigarette use and safety regulations, the pattern has flipped, with young and middle-aged women now being diagnosed with the disease at higher rates than men.
There were around 65 new cases of lung cancer for every 100,000 people in 1992 and by 2019 this had come down to about 42.
Despite the progress, a disparity among sexes is emerging, with women between the ages of 35 and 54 being diagnosed with lung cancer at higher rates than men in that same age group.
Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of lung cancer, and while there have been huge drops in overall smoking rates, women have been slower to quit.
By sex, about 67,000 men die from lung cancer every year compared to 59,910 women.
