NEWS
Alice in Chains drummer Sean Kinney has shared an update on his health after facing a “medical emergency” earlier this month.
Earlier this month (May 8), the Seattle band were forced to cancel a concert at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut at the last minute. Shortly before the performance was due to start, they announced in a statement that the date would not be going ahead.
The group cited an incident involving drummer Sean Kinney. “After our soundcheck this evening at the Mohegan Sun Arena, Sean experienced a non-life-threatening medical emergency,” they wrote at the time. They have since cancelled festival performances and headline concerts over the drummer’s health.
“While we were all eager to return to the stage, Sean’s health is our top priority at this moment. Although the issue requires immediate attention, his long-term prognosis is positive,” they wrote at the time.
Over the weekend, Kinney took to social media to address the situation, providing fans with an update on his health. To kick off his statement, Kinney thanked fans and those affected by the show’s cancellation for their understanding.
Sean wrote that after being advised by doctors to take a break from performing, he “quickly went through the 5 Stages of Grief,” adding that he’s finally accepted the situation for what it is. While he never shares what he’s dealing with, Kinney told fans that he is “going to be fine and I’m going to live.”
See his full post below.
The band are currently still scheduled to make an appearance at Black Sabbath’s last-ever live show at Villa Park in Birmingham on July 5.
The stacked line-up also features the likes of Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Anthrax, Smashing Pumpkins‘ Billy Corgan, Guns N’ Roses, KoRn and Tool. Earlier this month saw Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and the surviving Soundgarden members join the bill for the historic date.
In February, Alice In Chains’ Jerry Cantrell performed the band’s song ‘Hate To Feel’ live for the first time in over 30 years during his solo tour.
NEWS
Oliver Tree’s team has provided a new update following the singer’s death in a helicopter crash on June 14, confirming that a new artist grant will soon be established in his memory to help creatives secure funding, a plan he had detailed in his will before his passing.
Accompanying a collection of photos highlighting Tree’s performances, travels and creative work through the years, a post shared Sunday (June 21) on his Instagram account revealed that the musician’s remains have been brought back to California, the state he called home and where he will be laid to rest. “His legacy will live on through his foundation/endowment named ‘Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Grant For Baby Geniuses’ coming soon,” the caption reads. “This is something that Oliver had put together before his passing.”
“We will make sure his wish comes to fruition so that more joy, love and art can be spread into the world, that was his final wish,” the statement continued, adding that “the constant love, support and positivity” shown by fans throughout the past week has helped his “family, friends and collaborators make it through these extremely difficult times.”
Tree was among six people who lost their lives in a helicopter collision in Rio de Janeiro. The musician was in Brazil for his The World’s First Tour run and had performed what would ultimately be his final concert on June 6 in São Paulo. The other victims of the crash were identified as passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim and Lucas Brito Chaves, along with pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.
Just months before his death, Tree discussed his plans to direct his fortune and future earnings from his music toward a grant program for artists during an appearance on the Zach Sang Show. “I take no credit for anything I’ve ever done,” he said during the April interview. “Furthermore, I don’t believe that any of the wealth or things that get made from it is mine. So when I die … my will is set up so that when I pass, my family, nobody is going to get a penny.”
“If I have a wife or kids or anything, they’re not getting a penny,” he added at the time, explaining that the initiative would focus on helping artists create work rather than funding education. “I’ll get my kids through college, that’s the agreement, but there’s not gonna be a silver spoon. All the money is going to go back to artists.”
