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In May 2023, Michael Bolton, the multi-award-winning singer and songwriter who has sold more than 75 million records, and recorded eight top-10 albums, was the headline act for the For the Children charity concert hosted by the Issa Trust Foundation. The How Am I Supposed to Live Without You singer gave a performance to the capacity crowd at Couples San Souci in Ocho Rios, that was nothing short of memorable.
Two weeks ago, in an exclusive interview with People magazine, headlined ‘Michael Bolton Breaks Silence About His Aggressive Brain Cancer Diagnosis in Emotional First Interview’ Bolton revealed that in December 2023 – a mere seven month after his unforgettable concert in Jamaica – he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer, for which the recurrence rate is said to be in the region of 90 per cent.
Bolton had emergency surgery that same month to remove the tumour, and radiation and chemotherapy followed. He had chosen not to know his prognosis, and said that “succumbing to the challenge is not an option”.
“I want to keep going. I feel there’s still a lot to do on the fight side. I got a title for a song, Ain’t Going Down Without a Fight,” Bolton is quoted in the People magazine interview.
President of the Issa Trust Foundation Diane Pollard told The Gleaner that the news of Bolton’s health challenge hit her “incredibly hard”.
“Having worked with Michael Bolton’s management team for nearly six years, and after witnessing his unforgettable performance at our 2023 concert, it truly resonated. Michael is a world-class artiste who has shown genuine heart and compassion for our cause and the children of Jamaica. Knowing his strength and spirit, I have no doubt he’s facing this fight with incredible courage,” Pollard said of the superstar singer.
The Grammy Award-winning Bolton is no stranger to Jamaica, where his hit songs, such as, When I’m back on my Feet Again, Soul Provider, and Said I Loved You … But I Lied, are the soundtracks to the lives of several people. He first performed on the island in 2007 at the Jazz and Blues Festival in Montego Bay, St James. He returned in 2013, 2015 and 2023.
“My thoughts and prayers are with him, and I know so many of us are cheering him on,” Pollard said.
The Issa Trust Foundation has so far held four fund-raising concerts towards the construction of the Mary Issa Health Centre in Richmond, St Ann, starting in 2017, with Air Supply and Tessanne Chin as headliners. Air Supply returned in 2019 for another sold-out concert that saw Third World and Koffee on the bill at Couples Sans Souci in Ocho Rios.
Third World were the headliner at a charity gala held at Sony Hall in New York in November 2022 and again at the second fundraising gala in New York City in May 2024.
The upcoming concert on May 17 at Couples San Souci in Ocho Rios features Grammy Award-winning reggae artiste Shaggy alongside Lila Iké and Tessanne Chin’s Voice Box Performing Arts group. All proceeds from the event will go towards building the Mary Issa Paediatric and Adolescent Health Centre.
English (US) ·