Matthew Sweet, the alt-rocker behind '90s hits Girlfriend and I've Been Waiting, has suffered a "debilitating stroke" while on tour with pop band Hanson.
The 60-year-old's management revealed the news in a fundraising page launched to support his family and loved ones as he embarks on "a long, difficult road to recovery".
"Matthew has always been intensely focused and tenacious in all of his endeavours – not only in his recording career, but in all of his artistic and intellectual pursuits," Sweet's manager Russell Carter told USA TODAY as he confirmed Sweet's "extensive cross-country tour" had been cancelled.
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Matthew Sweet, pictured here performing in 1992, has suffered a 'debilitating' stroke while on tour. (Getty)"I am confident that his signature determination will serve him well as he focuses now on recovery to good health," Carter continued.
Carter's management company revealed further details in a statement shared on GoFundMe, which was launched on Tuesday. In two days, it's raised $US213,718 (approx. $322,656).
The statement, which noted Sweet is their "longtime inspiration and dear friend", said that Sweet's stroke occurred in Toronto, Canada, in the early days of his tour.
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"He has been unexpectedly and tragically forced off the road and onto a long, uncertain path to recovery," the statement said.
"Without insurance or touring income, Matthew faces an enormous financial burden."
It went on to note that doctors in Toronto were "instrumental" in saving Sweet's life, but because the Nebraska native is American, the treatment he received was not free.
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Sweet also now needs to be flown back to the United States "on an ambulance transport plane with medical staff on board, to a specialised rehabilitation centre, where he will receive around-the-clock care and therapy for six weeks."
It's expected Sweet will need months of treatment and rehabilitation, which his management estimate will cost around US$250,000 (approx. $377,000) and loved ones are hoping will lead to his full recovery.
Sweet – who was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, and moved to Omaha, Nebraska, with his wife Lisa Sweet in 2013 – had been on his first tour in almost five years.
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Sweet, pictured here in 2013, needs to be flown back to the United States from Canada. (Getty)"I started touring in the spring, and I just went through some health stuff, and got some time off during the pandemic," Sweet, whose popular catalogue also includes hits Time Capsule and Sick of Myself, told Des Moines Register in early October.
"Really, sort of last year, I felt like I was ready to start playing. But by then, stuff was so booked up for the end of '23 that we decided we'll try to go in spring of 2024."
He's also known for appearing on the soundtrack of 1996's The Craft.
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