Music and rock ‘n’ roll lovers already know him name, but Peter Frampton soon will become a new type of rock star: rare disease advocate.
The British guitar legend announced last week that he is diagnosed with inclusion body myositis (IBM) which will affect his ability to play guitar.
So in pure rock star fashion, Peter is busy issuing a double album later this year and then going on a summer tour, dubbed “Peter Frampton Finale — The Farewell Tour.”
What is IBM?
Inclusion body myositis is a progressive muscle disorder characterized by muscle inflammation, feebleness, and muscle wasting or atrophy. IBM typically develops in adulthood, somewhere around the age of 50. While the lifespan of those affected by IBM is typically normal, they will often progress to disability and require assistance with daily functions. IBM may also be referred to as inflammatory myopathy, or sporadic inclusion body myositis.
To read more about IBM, click here.
‘I Want to Rock It’
In interviews with CBS News and Rolling Stone, Peter shared that he was diagnosed about three and a half years ago after a fall on stage. The disease progressed gradually, but sometime last autumn he felt the symptoms accelerate.
“Going upstairs and downstairs is the hardest thing for me,” he said. “I’m going to have to get a cane … and then the other thing I noticed, I can’t put things up over my head.”
As any guitarist would, Peter knew what would be his biggest loss.
“What will happen, unfortunately, is that it affects the finger flexors,” he said. “That’s the first telltale sign is the flexors, you know. So for a guitar player, it’s not very good.”
Hence, Peter wants to rock it all out the best he can before it becomes too hard.
“If I’m going to do a farewell tour, I want to play good,” Peter said. “I want to rock it. I know that this tour, I will be able to do everything I did last year and the year before. That’s the most important thing to me. I want to go out screaming as opposed to, ‘He can’t play anymore.’”
Click below to hear about Peter’s battle and more.
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