Singer Matthew Sweet suffers ‘debilitating’ stroke while on tour in Toronto

American singer-songwriter Matthew Sweet suffered a stroke while on tour in Toronto earlier this month, and a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to raise money to cover the “overwhelming” health-care costs.

Russell Carter, Sweet’s manager, told CTV News Toronto Wednesday that after he suffered his stroke on Oct. 12, Sweet was quickly admitted to Toronto Western Hospital “where he was put into excellent care and taken out of immediate danger.”

Carter said Sweet was transferred to a rehabilitation centre at home in Omaha, Neb., where he will undergo extensive therapy.

“All of us who know and love Matthew have hope for a speedy recovery. Matthew has been intensely focused and tenacious in all of his endeavours – not only in his recording career, but in all of his artistic and intellectual pursuits,” Carter said in an email statement.

“I am confident that his signature determination will serve him well as he focuses now on recovery to good health.”

Carter noted that the singer’s medical expenses in Canada and Omaha are exorbitant, and due to what happened, he cannot perform a live tour, which is his primary source of income.

A fundraiser is looking to raise US$250,000 to cover all of the necessary medical costs for the singer, from around-the-clock care and therapy to medical transportation back to the U.S.

So far it’s reached over US$235,000.

“Matthew Sweet, our longtime inspiration and dear friend, suffered a debilitating stroke this past week in Toronto while in the early days of a national tour. He has been unexpectedly and tragically forced off the road and onto a long, uncertain path to recovery,” Catherine Lyons, who represents Sweet at Russell Carter Artist Management, wrote on the GoFundMe page.

“The doctors and hospital care in Toronto were instrumental in saving Matthew’s life, but health care is not free for Americans in Canada.”

After six weeks at the rehab centre, Lyons says Sweet will need months of treatment and rehab to make it to a full recovery.

Sweet’s tour was just in its early days with the North American tour starting on Oct. 1 in Des Moines, Iowa, and he was slated to perform in Toronto with Hanson on Oct. 13. All remaining tour dates are cancelled so the singer can focus on his recovery.

“We hope to have Matthew and his band back out on the road in 2025,” a post made on Instagram reads, adding that fans can collect their refunds at the point of purchase.

“We are asking for financial help in this difficult time from his family, friends, and fans. Without insurance or touring income, Matthew faces an enormous financial burden,” Lyons wrote.

Sweet has released over a dozen albums and rose to prominence with “Girlfriend” and “Altered Beast.” His last album, “Catspaw,” was released in 2021.