STUDIO CITY—Founding member of punk rock band X, Billy Zoom, pulled out of the band’s current tour to battle bladder cancer. The band’s guitarist will undergo chemotherapy beginning next week.
The band is looking for Zoom’s replacement in the interim, so the July and August tour dates can continue in support of the member.
Zoom will perform at the Orange County Album Play shows this weekend. Each night he and other musicians will perform a different album by X. The shows begin Thursday and will each feature one of the first four X albums. The event is held at The Observatory in Orange County. Thursday is a cover of “Los Angeles,” Friday features “Wild Gift,” “Under the Big Sun” is on Saturday, and Sunday is “More Fun in the New World.” Special guests include Mike Watt and The Blasters.
Zoom’s bladder cancer was described by the band as “aggressive” and requires immediate treatment. In 2010, Zoom reported that he prostate cancer through a prostatectomy.
In support of their band member, X created a GoFundMe online campaign to raise money for Zoom’s treatment. In 1 day, 1,238 people raised $59,222, surpassing the campaign goal of $50,000.
Zoom commented on the amount of support he’s received from fans stating, “My family and I are overwhelmed and deeply humbled by the outpouring of money, love, and support that we’ve received over past 24 hours. Facing months of cancer treatment is tough, but not as tough as worrying about taking care of my family through it all. We still hadn’t completely recovered financially from my last bout with cancer and I really wasn’t sure, aside from lots of prayer, how I was going to manage to keep our home and family together through this.”
