John Farnham Reveals He Can’t Open His Mouth, May Never Sing Again

John Farnham is opening up and sharing numerous revelations in his upcoming memoir, The Voice Inside. The singer has revealed that he may never sing again.

The news arrived in an interview with Poppy Stockell, co-writer and director of his documentary, John Farnham: Finding The Voice, who shared insights into the book with The Guardian.

Discussing time spent with Farnham following his mouth cancer diagnosis in late 2022, the surgery and treatments, Stockell recalled moments with the singer as he laughed but would then wince due to scarring from the surgery around his mouth. Stockell described him as a “workhorse” and as someone who’s “really fun” despite the things he’s been through.

The cancer diagnosis left him “gutted,” Farnham wrote in the memoir, per The Guardian. And, post-op, he struggles to open his mouth so he may never sing again.

Farnham wrote, “My facial disfigurement from the surgery means I can’t open my mouth wide enough for a strip of spaghetti, let alone to sing a top C.

“At this stage, I can’t get the movement to make the sounds I want to make, and that’s where the vibrations and my voice come from. It’s still a very disconcerting thing. And trying hurts.”

However, not all hope is lost, as his radiation treatments didn’t damage his vocal cords. Farnham wrote that he still tries to sing, “I can barely open my mouth, but I still wail in the shower.”

Farnham discussed the cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgeries in the memoir, stating that he was told that he was “very close to dying.”

The Voice Inside has also made news since Farnham alleged that his former manager, Darryl Sambell, drugged him “for years.” In an excerpt of the book seen by The Australian, Farnham wrote that he had “no fucking idea” that was happening.

This month, Farnham revealed that he’d personally recorded the audiobook of The Voice Inside, saying about the experience: “I’ve just finished narrating my audiobook. It was a bit of a roller-coaster ride. There were more than a few laughs and some tears, but it made me realise how lucky I’ve been.”

You can order The Voice Inside here.