Musician Matthew Sweet Suffers ‘Debilitating’ Stroke While on Tour

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Matthew Sweet via his GoFundMe page

Matthew Sweet, the power pop/alternative rock musician who scored a pair of Gold albums in the early 1990s, has suffered what is described as a “debilitating” stroke while on tour during the past week. The news was shared on his Facebook page by his management company which has set up a GoFundMe page to cover the financial burden of his medical expenses. Cathy Lyons of Russell Carter Artist Management wrote that “doctors and hospital care in Toronto were instrumental in saving [Sweet’s] life,” adding he “must now be flown back to the States on an ambulance transport plane with medical staff on board, to a specialized rehabilitation center, where he will receive around-the-clock care and therapy for six weeks. He will then require months of treatment and rehabilitation that we hope will lead to a full recovery.” Sweet turned 60 on October 6.

Sweet was born in Lincoln, Neb. and moved to Athens, Ga. in the early 1980s at the urging of his pen pal, R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe. As a student at the Univ. of Georgia, he was immersed in the college town’s burgeoning alternative rock scene, playing in pioneering acts like Oh-OK and the Buzz of Delight. At 20, he left Georgia for New York City and a deal with Columbia Records, where he released his debut solo album, Inside, in 1986, to little success. In the ensuing years, he moved to the outskirts of Princeton, New Jersey, where he composed the songs that became 1991’s Girlfriend, the commercial breakthrough that his longtime supporters in the industry knew to be inevitable. The singles “Girlfriend” and “I’ve Been Waiting” earned Sweet an international following. Altered Beast (1993) continued the hot streak with singles “Ugly Truth” and “Time Capsule,” while 1995’s 100% Fun single “Sick of Myself” reached #2 on rock radio, breaking him even wider.

Watch Sweet perform “Girlfriend” earlier this year

Sweet continued to evolve over a string of well-received albums in the early 2000s. In 2006, he joined forces with Bangles front woman Susanna Hoffs to record a series of covers from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, Under the Covers, Vol. 1–3. Sweet’s music has appeared in numerous films, television shows, and games.

The GoFundMe post noted, “Your thoughts, love, and support will mean the world to him. But please donate financially if you possibly can. Matthew will be forever grateful to you.”