Matthew Sweet Updates His Stroke Recovery

December 8, 2024 @ 4:33 PM

Musician Matthew Sweet suffered a massive stroke in October, cutting short his tour and leaving him facing massive medical costs.

Fortunately, his management has reached out to fans to help with his bills. So far, 8700 contributions have come in, raising slightly more than $500,000, with a goal of $750,000.

“I may never play guitar again,” Sweet said in a GoFundMe note posted Friday. But he promised he “will try to make music.”

Sweet emerged from the 80’s Athens, Georgia music scene and scored a hit with his album “Girlfriend” in 1991. His next two records, “Altered Beast” (1993) and “100% Fun” (1995) included the songs “Time Capsule” and “Sick of Myself.”

Despite those successes, Sweet, age 60, almost died when he had a stroke while in Toronto, Canada. He had to be flown back to the U.S. and had an intensive stint in the hospital.

Sweet recalled his stroke in his Friday GoFundMe note.

“I was colder than I’ve ever been and an icy sweat came from every pore. Then I heard a deafening white noise in both my ears growing, and growing and growing in volume, and my eyes started to scramble like eggs in a pan. “Call me an ambulance” I called out to Evan who was just checking us in to the Toronto hotel after a ten-hour drive from Baltimore.”

“Then I was in an ambulance and I heard a man yell, “Sir you’ve had a stroke.” I didn’t know what it meant. It seemed unreal as much of my life has.”

He continued, “I will try to make music. I will try to. I will try to make art. I will try to express myself, because that is all I have ever known and all that has ever brought me joy, throughout a life filled with more sadness than anyone could know what to do with, than any of us know what to do with, and that’s life. May you all today find a glimmer of hope and love and a future to strive toward the way you have helped me find it, every one of you.”