Holly Johnson felt like he'd been "cancelled" after he went public with his AIDS diagnosis
The Frankie Goes To Hollywood star, 64, was diagnosed with the condition in 1991 when he was in his early 30s after being struck down with symptoms including skin lesions, a fungal toenail infection and Kaposi's sarcoma - a form of cancer - and was told he had between two months and two years to live.
13 September 2024
The singer eventually went public with his diagnosis in 1993 and it made him feel alone and isolated because of the stigma surrounding the disease at the time. He told the Guardian newspaper: "It felt like being cancelled. For quite a number of years no one rang except a couple of friends like [Radio 1 DJ] Janice Long and [singer] Kirsty MacColl."
However, he was given a boost when superstar David Bowie got in touch. He added: "I got a phone call from David Bowie, which was like getting a phone call from God.
"We ended up chatting for over an hour on a Saturday night. We spoke a lot about art - the Vorticists and Keith Vaughan - and he said, 'I've got a tour coming up; what songs shall I sing?' So I just reeled off a load of songs that I loved."
Holly spent years being treated with "experimental drugs" and he suffered from side effects from the medicine as much as the illness itself. However, he admits being ill a lot helped him bond with his father after years of having a frosty releationship.
He explained: "You'd grab experimental drugs with both hands and one of those gave me pancreatitis for five years, which is a very painful condition.
"[My father and I] bonded over ill health - he had angina and gout. I remember when he rang me up after hearing about combination therapy on the news and said, 'I was glad to hear there's hope for you.' So yes, we came to terms with each other."
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