Singer-Songwriter Matthew Sweet Faces ‘Long, Uncertain Path to Recovery’ After Stroke

Matthew Sweet performs at City Winery Nashville on July 28, 201. Rick Diamond/Getty Images

Matthew Sweet’s management team has provided additional details about the medical emergency the singer-songwriter experienced earlier this month, which resulted in the cancellation of his remaining tour dates.

According to a statement shared online by Catherine Lyons, a production manager with Russell Carter Artist Management, Sweet, 60, suffered a “debilitating” stroke while on tour in Canada.

“He has been unexpectedly and tragically forced off the road and onto a long, uncertain path to recovery,” Lyons wrote in a GoFundMe account created on Oct. 21.

Sweet, famous for his 1990s hits such as “Girlfriend” and “Sick of Myself,” was scheduled to perform at Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall on Oct. 13, where he was opening for the pop band Hanson. However, on the morning of the show, his team announced via Facebook that he would be unable to perform “due to an illness.”

A statement released on Sweet’s Instagram account the next day revealed that all of his upcoming shows with Hanson, as well as any headlining concerts scheduled through mid-November, would need to be canceled.

“Matthew needs to pause traveling for a period of recovery. We hope to have Matthew and his band back out on the road in 2025,” the statement read. “Thank you for your understanding, and please wish Matthew a speedy recovery, and a return to action soon.”

Road to Recovery

Lyons encouraged Sweet’s friends, fans, and relatives to contribute to the fundraising campaign, which initially aimed to raise $250,000 to assist with the musician’s growing medical bills.

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

“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.”

On Oct. 23, Lyons issued an update on the GoFundMe page, expressing gratitude for the “many generous donations” and supportive messages that Sweet had received since the launch of the fundraiser.

She also shared that Sweet had been transferred to a specialized rehabilitation center near his home in Omaha, Nebraska.

“With your direct help, Matthew was able to check out of the hospital in Toronto and successfully return to Omaha on board a medical flight attended by two nurses with medical equipment to keep him stable,” she wrote.

“He was admitted into the rehabilitation hospital immediately where he is already being evaluated and tested so medical staff can prepare a more comprehensive rehabilitation plan this week.”

Lyons reiterated that Sweet faces a “long, tough road to recovery” in the coming months. As a result, she said the fundraiser’s goal had been increased to $400,000 to support any additional expenses the singer incurs as he remains in rehabilitation for the foreseeable future.

As of Oct. 24, the GoFundMe account had raised more than $350,000.

“Needless to say, Matthew will not be able to return to performing concerts anytime soon,” Lyons stated.

“Your contributions are profoundly helpful to Matthew—he is fully aware of your generosity and has asked that I convey his deep appreciation to all of you who have helped him.”

Music Career

Sweet first broke out onto the Athens, Georgia, music scene in the 1980s, performing with several bands, including Oh-OK, the Community Trolls, and the Buzz of Delight.

Sweet embarked on his solo career in 1986 with the release of his debut album “Inside.” He rose to fame five years later with the release of his third album, “Girlfriend,” which garnered him critical acclaim.

His subsequent albums included “Altered Beast” (1993) and “100% Fun” (1995), which featured two of his hit songs “Time Capsule” and “Sick of Myself,” respectively.

Sweet’s most recent album, “Catspaw,” which debuted in January 2021, chronicles “the confessions of a career artist, mature and assured in his craft and achingly transparent in his confrontations of aging and the search for meaning,” per the musician’s online biography.

“I’m trying to get my head around getting older, I want to let go, I want to tell the ugly truth ... I want to do all kinds of different things in my head and they really popped out in these songs,” Sweet shared in a statement ahead of the album’s release.

“For me, being an artist is ultimately a solitary thing,” he continued.

“I’ve taken comfort in that as I’ve grown older. Success and people come and go in life, but I know I will always be making music and that it continues to be fun and intriguing—that mystery of discovering what a song is going to become.”