Nineties rock frontwoman tells fans she’s ‘alive’ as she reveals ‘major surgery’ in post from hospital bed
A ROCK icon has revealed she’s had major surgery just months after her band cancelled its tour.
Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson, 58, posted a picture from her hospital bed to update fans on her condition.
With her mouth wide open, she flashed two peace signs and wrote: “I’m choosing to remind myself, as I lie here trying to recover from major surgery, that there are still beautiful things in the world’.
“Animals, flowers, oceans, trees. I’m so grateful to all the people who have gone out of their way to love on me, take care of me, check in on me.
“I cling on to their kindness and their thoughtfulness and their care. Mostly I have spent the week in bed. Mostly I have been doomscrolling.”
Another post saw her triumphantly declare: “She lives.”
Manson suffered an injury in the summer on a European tour that put an end to Garbage’s live shows for the remainder of the year.
In a post on social media, the band told fans they were “crushed” by the decision and added: “You know we would push through if we could.”
A statement released by the band on Instagram, read: “It is with great and sincere regret that we announce the cancellation of all of our remaining dates for the rest of the year, due to an injury that Shirley sustained on our recent tour in Europe that will require surgery and rehabilitation to correct.
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly and we apologise wholeheartedly to our amazing fans and supportive promoters.
“We look forward to playing for you all again in 2025. Sending so much love as always, stay kind.”
A number of fellow musicians replied to the announcement wishing Manson well, including Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner, former Cramps guitarist Kid Congo Powers, and Bikini Kill lead singer Kathleen Hanna.
Powers wrote in reply to the post: “Health comes first, a must. Here’s to a complete recovery.”
Garbage was formed in 1994, when Scottish singer Manson met American band mates Butch Vig, Duke Erikson and Steve Marker. They have gone on to have six UK top 10 singles and six UK top 10 albums.
Prior to joining the band, Butch produced Nirvana’s classic album Nevermind in 1991.
Something of a rarity, the group has maintained its original line-up for the entirety of its existence.
Garbage’s best known songs include Stupid Girl, Only Happy When It Rains and the theme to the 1999 James Bond film, The World Is Not Enough.
Last year Manson revealed how the band had to weather a torrent of criticism in the 90s, telling the BBC: “We were criticised for not being a real band. To this day, people dismiss us as a ‘producer’s band’. We’ve got it in the neck from everyone, no matter what we’ve done.”
She added: “We’ve somehow managed to build a career by refusing to listen to people,” says Manson. “We have, in inverted commas, ‘a bad attitude’, but that attitude has allowed us to carve out a niche for ourselves.”
The inspiring rocker has also dealt with personal adversity during the band’s career. In the late noughties, her mum was diagnosed with Pick’s disease and died just 12 months later.
The neurodegenerative condition is an aggressive from of dementia, most common in people under 65.
Manson told the Guardian how her rescue dog, Veela, provided her with great comfort in the aftermath.
She said: ‘”In real life, I was struggling to process my mother’s death but whenever I came home from work there would be Veela, dancing on her hind legs, demanding to be walked, to be fed, to be cuddled, to be engaged with. Slowly, I began to heal.”