Photo: yakub88 / Shutterstock.com
By Isaac Serna-Diez — Written on Jun 29, 2021
On June 23, Mark Hoppus, lead vocalist and co-founder of blink-182, revealed that he had been fighting cancer for months now — attending chemotherapy, scared the whole time.
Hoppus put out a statement on multiple social media platforms.
"For the past three months I've been undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. I have cancer. It sucks and I'm scared, and at the same time I'm blessed with incredible doctors and family and friends to get me through this. I still have months of treatment ahead of me but I'm trying to remain hopeful and positive. Can't wait to see you all at a concert in the near future. Love to you all,” the photo in the post read.
But fans are worried about Hoppus' diagnosis, fearing the worst.
Is Mark Hoppus dying?
The blink-182 vocalist hasn't revealed which type of cancer he's in treatment for, what stage it is in, and/or whether or not doctors consider his diagnosis to be terminal.
One Reddit user did a little sleuthing to see if they could figure more out about what stage Hoppus might be in, what cancer it is, or if he really is dying.
Chemotherapy is not uncommon for those diagnosed with cancer, but blood transfusions are interesting.
According to cancer.org, "Most chemotherapy drugs affect cells in the bone marrow. This commonly leads to low blood cell counts, and can sometimes put a person at risk for life-threatening infections or bleeding."
Blood transfusions are especially popular with leukemia patients, but the Reddit commenters believe it's something else.
Another redditor pointed out that Hoppus had been smoking for over 20 years, so it's not entirely unreasonable to believe that it could be lung cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, the 5-year survival rate for lung cancer is 21.7 percent, a slim number.
Hopefully, Hoppus' doctors caught it early and are able to provide adequate treatment — we need this childhood hero to stick around for much longer.
Despite not knowing what type of cancer Hoppus is being treated for, there has been an outpouring of love from fans and friends.
People recalled the times they went out to see the band live, or how some of their songs helped them through really tough times.
Blink-182 was one of the most popular pop-punk bands during the late 90s to the early 00s, and their fans are some of the most loyal ever. They’ve sat through 9 studio albums, a 5-year hiatus, internal conflict, album delays — the list goes on.
But all that doesn’t matter when the people you idolize are in trouble.
Hoppus' friends and even bandmates have stood by his side the entire time. Former blink-182 guitarist and co-founder, Tom DeLonge, tweeted about how he knew of his diagnosis for a while, adding that “he is strong, and a super-human.”
Travis Barker, blink-182 drummer, shared pictures of them together on his Instagram story, captioning them with his love for Hoppus. He also told E! News, "Mark is my brother and I love and support him. I will be with him every step of the way on stage and off and can't wait for us to play together again soon."
Other musical artists and bands have shown their support for the long-time bassist and singer.
Jimmy Eat World, Wolf Van Halen, Taking Back Sunday, and even Spotify tweeted at Hoppus, sharing nothing but kind words and well wishes.
While the 49-year-old vocalist never specified which cancer he was diagnosed with, he showed gratitude for the doctors treating him, as well as his family and friends to help him through.
Blink-182 released their ninth studio album in 2019 and released a single in 2020 titled “Quarantine.”
Hoppus had announced that they were gearing up for another album release, but that it wouldn’t come out until 2021 — this year. However with Hoppus' treatment and diagnosis, the album will likely see a delay.
It’s reassuring to see that Hoppus is already looking toward the future and continuing his life once his battle with cancer is over.
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Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice and relationships.