Country Singer Jo Dee Messina Announces She Has Cancer
Jo Dee Messina, who dominated the country charts in the late 90s with songs like “I’m Alright” and “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” and was the first female country artist to top the charts with three No. 1 songs from one album, announced Wednesday that she has cancer.
The 47-year-old did not reveal the type of cancer, but her team did share an emotional and heartfelt message to her fans, which began, “Over the years, Jo Dee has built a close relationship with her fans, so those of us at Team JDM wanted to be the first to let you know that she was recently diagnosed with cancer.”
You can read the entire statement below:
Producer Seth Mosely, who recently worked with Messina and Mia Fieldes to write the song “Here,” said watching Jo Dee record the song after she was told the diagnosis was “One of the most powerful moments I’ve had in my entire studio career.”
Messina’s fans reacted to the news on Twitter with an outpouring of support:
#jodeemessina #Cancer #NewMusic #Here Please join us in keeping Jo Dee Messina in your thoughts and prayers as she walks this road. https://t.co/fOKOszpRpr
— Sherryjane Cooke (@SherryjaneCooke) September 7, 2017
#JoDeeMessina is one of the only country musicians I like. #fuckcancer
— Jill (@SanityOnTheRun) September 7, 2017
My friend @jodeemessina has been diagnosed with cancer. Please send prayers ❤@JoDeeDigital #jodeemessina#country #prayers pic.twitter.com/67uwztNEqQ
— Jessica Lynn (@Jessica__Lynn_) September 7, 2017
@jodeemessina is a fighter! Cancer won’t stand in her way. #jodeemessina #cancersucks #wcw #womancrushwednesday #countysinger pic.twitter.com/18ArNbe5WT
— Jon Lutz (@jlutz1925) September 7, 2017
Messina plans to play four more concerts, the last being October 7, in Harrington, Delaware, before postponing the rest of her tour. She will begin cancer treatment this fall.
Image via Wikimedia Commons/Glenn S. Robertson
Trish is the Cancer Editor at The Mighty. She lost her father to stage 4 lung cancer in August 2016, and previously worked at a children’s cancer research organization, so she knows firsthand about the cancer experience. A lover of hip hop music, hot sauce and kimchi, she lives in Maryland with her husband, two dogs, cat and feisty 2-year-old daughter. Check her story out in the book, “A Letter to My Mom.“
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