Former Skid Row member Johnny Solinger has been diagnosed with liver failure. Solinger, the band’s vocalist from 1999 until 2015, revealed his diagnosis in a Facebook post on Saturday. In the health update, the 55-year-old musician informed fans that he has been “hospitalized for over the last month” after receiving the diagnosis, explaining that “the prognosis is not good.”
Solinger said it was with “a heavy heart” that he “let everyone know what’s going on with me and my health.” He went on to reveal that he has a poor prognosis, adding that “as with most musicians I do not have health insurance and it’s very difficult to get proper care without it.” According to Solinger, he is on “at least seven different medications” and needs to have fluid drained from his abdomen “every couple of days.” Amid his health struggles, he said he has “lost a lot of strength and will require physical therapy as well.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
“I appreciate and want you all to keep me in your thoughts and send me all the healing vibes you can, but I get exhausted easily so I will ask you to please not call or text unless absolutely necessary. But please, if you can help in this difficult time, I will wholeheartedly appreciate it,” Solinger wrote. “Love you all.”
In the post, Solinger also said he was planning to put together a fundraiser to help cover “the medical bills and with the palliative care I will need in the coming months.” The musician said he was “kindly asking those of you who could help put this together to step forward. I would not be asking you all this if I didn’t really need the help, but sadly this is where I’m at.” Solinger said he would provide a link to the donation page “very soon,” adding that he “wanted to update you on my condition.”
The health update was met with a number of supportive messages from fans, with one person writing, “so sorry to hear and hope you get all the care you need and stay strong.” Another person commented, “This breaks my heart. I hope and pray that you are able to keep the faith and make it through this,” with a third person adding, “Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.” One person, who said they have known Solinger for more than two decades, even created a GoFundMe page that has since raised more than $4,500. Others reflected on their many times seeing Solinger in concert.
Solinger was a member of Skid Row for nearly two decades. UCR noted that before his exit from the group in 2015, he appeared on two Skid Row albums and two EPs: 2003’s Thickskin, 2006’s Revolutions Per Minute, 2013’s United World Rebellion: Chapter One, and 2014’s Rise of the Damnation Army — United World Rebellion.
