State Champ Radio GoFundMe
Jon Dee Graham, the Austin guitarist and songwriter who played in the beloved local punk band True Believers, slipped and fell in 2021, and doctors apparently did not notice a crack in his spine. In early 2024, he had spinal surgery, and a six-month recovery period meant he could not make money from playing gigs. But the procedure didn’t take, and in April, he had another surgery, then developed an infection. Today, Graham, 66, lies in bed for hours every day, taking antibiotics every 12 hours that cause nausea and chills.
“We got a call from the IV company: ‘We need up-front payment in the thousands before we’re able to deliver the medication,’ ” says William Harries Graham, Jon Dee’s son, an architect and singer-songwriter who is overseeing his care.
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Jon Dee has Medicare, but there are crucial coverage gaps — because the hospital discharged him, according to William, insurance won’t reimburse medication and other portions of his home care. So the family turned to the most reliable backup plan available to veteran, well-known musicians: fans. Jon Dee is also a painter, and William has been offering his artwork, comics and music through a zine-like Bear Cave Dispatch in exchange for online donations. It’s working — for now. “We were able to cover those initial medical expenses,” he says.
The guitarist’s story remains bleak — sepsis recently set in — but it speaks to the blessing-and-curse health-care reality that working musicians must endure as they age. As gig-economy workers whose incomes fluctuate across decades, independent artists often find themselves with few resources for medical costs beyond those covered by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicare or spouses’ employer plans. And if medical issues prevent touring, artists often have zero income. But musicians such as Jon Dee and rockers Matthew Sweet and Jesse Malin, as well as the late David Johansen and Gang of Four bassist Dave Allen, have recently tapped into loyal, generous fan bases through crowd-sourcing sites like GoFundMe and other grassroots fundraising.
At recent concerts, Gang of Four founding drummer Hugo Burnham has returned to the stage post-encore to request that fans buy merchandise to offset costs for Allen’s family. (Allen died at his home in Portland, Ore., in April at 69 after a long struggle with dementia.) “It’s no secret the cost of medical care in the U.S. is an obscenity,” says Burnham, 69, who fractured a bone in his leg during the tour but is covered through his job as a college professor. “Had he lived anywhere else, there might not have been this terrible burden on the family. We all know the stories of people who have had to rely on raising money based on the kindness of strangers — and it’s not just musicians.”
Outside of the U.S. health-care system, musicians struggling with health care costs can tap into multiple resources — but they rarely come close to providing all the costs needed for severe, long-term health issues. After Chappell Roan demanded “a livable wage and health care” for artists during her acceptance speech at the 2025 Grammy Awards, music-business experts pointed out that musicians signed to major labels could access health-insurance plans provided by the SAG-AFTRA union for premiums comparable to the ACA.
In addition, Sweet Relief provides grants for artists and others in the music industry through fundraising concerts, donations and other resources. The 31-year-old nonprofit is a “stopgap,” according to executive director Aric Steinberg. In 2023, Sweet Relief helped Malin set up an online fundraiser when the veteran punk frontman suffered a paralyzing stroke in his back. “It’s unfortunate we have to exist,” Steinberg says. “Sadly, we’re busier than ever.”
MusiCares, a 35-year-old affiliate of the Recording Academy, raises funds through high-profile events like its Grammy Week Person of the Year benefit, which has recently honored the Grateful Dead, Motown Records’ Berry Gordy Jr. and Smokey Robinson, Joni Mitchell and Aerosmith. It has provided nearly $120 million in health-care assistance to musicians and music-business workers over time, including roughly $10 million overall to 9,000 people during the past year. “It is not unlimited support,” says Theresa Wolters, MusiCares’ interim executive director/vp for health and human services. “However, it is very, very substantial.”
These limits were evident to William, who says he has reached out to MusiCares on Jon Dee’s behalf for health-care funding with “no result.” Russell Carter, Sweet’s longtime manager, adds that MusiCares contributed funds for some early medical costs, but the charity has been “just one piece in the puzzle of solving his financial woes.” (A MusiCares representative says the charity can’t comment on artists it works with. Wolters adds: “We work within the realities of our nonprofit model and our commitment to equitable support across the community. In these instances, MusiCares is one part of the solution.”)
Sweet, 60, suffered a stroke last October while touring in Toronto. After leaving an intensive-care stroke unit in a Canadian hospital, he returned to his hometown of Omaha, Neb., and has received treatment in a rehabilitation program. Although he’s improving, particularly his speech, Sweet’s main issue remains “coordination,” Carter says, and he can’t walk or play guitar or keyboard. He also has vision problems and is “generally wheelchair-bound in his home.” In addition, Sweet’s wife recently broke her leg, forcing the family to hire a full-time nurse — which is not covered through the singer’s ACA insurance or early Medicare.
Since Sweet’s stroke, his GoFundMe has raised nearly $640,000, which, Carter says, “paid for what can only be described as exorbitant medical expenses.”
Sweet and his team view the crowdfunding not as an indictment of the U.S. health-care system but a mass validation of fan loyalty and colleagues’ affection. Sweet may not currently be able to tour, but his decades of touring are paying off. “Don’t dismiss the GoFundMe,” Carter says. “It’s a vehicle for fans to contribute. These are people that would spend $35 to see Matthew if he came through town in a second, and if they can spend $35 to help Matthew — clearly, they did it, instantly. They’re willing to give back. That’s a very positive thing.”
It was the morning of Jan. 8, and Los Angeles was burning.
As wildfires decimated the city’s Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods, many evacuees from those areas posted urgent updates on social media saying they and their families had just fled homes that, for many, no longer existed.
Angelenos living outside areas where fires were actively burning watched with dread as dark smoke blotted out the sun in areas across town, wondering how they could help their friends and if they might be next. As many took action to help, one longtime music publicist started doing what she does best: organizing information.
“I was literally in shock and horror,” says the publicist, who’s requested anonymity. “I saw a lot of names who I knew that had lost their homes, so I just opened a spreadsheet and labeled it ‘fire victims.’ I started putting the names down, and then I put a post online saying, ‘Let’s keep track of the music and musician community, especially for fundraising.’”
A list that started with 10 names now — as of publication on Thursday (Jan. 16) — contains 365, nearly all of them listed with corresponding GoFundMe links. The list has helped raise a collective $13 million in donations in the eight days since its creation, the publicist says.
The spreadsheet was originally an open-source document anyone could add to, but when the publicist woke up on the morning of Jan. 9 and opened it, she saw that “every single person’s name was missing and everything was sorted incorrectly, and that just wasn’t going to work.” There were also a few hours when every name on the list was accidentally deleted, after which the document was made read-only.
At this point, the publicist thought about creating a submission page but then reconsidered, thinking people reaching out to add their names “needed more of a human interaction.” Instead, she directed people to reach out to her directly and was soon receiving new names — along with other data like the number of people and pets living in the house, their affiliation to the music business and their needs — via email, text and across social accounts.
“I started typing them in by hand and working on it pretty much all day over the weekend,” she says. (Editor‘s note: A submission page was ultimately added. If you or someone you know has been affected by the fires and would like a name added to the list, submit the info here.)
Then Zac Matthews, chairman of the music department at Pasadena City College, reached out and offered to help. Matthews is not only helping manage the list but adding names from the broader musical community.
“When I first saw the growing list, it became an invaluable source of information about friends and colleagues in need,” Matthews says. “I implemented a few improvements to make it quicker and easier to add people and have been working on keeping it up-to-date and gradually more functional. While it’s gratifying to feel like I’m contributing in some way during this time, it still feels small in the face of such an immense tragedy — but it’s something… I hope our efforts have played some part in inspiring this remarkable outpouring of generosity.”
The list is now being run by a small team, with assistance from Los Angeles NPR affiliate KCRW, which is hosting additional tabs that include a benefit concert calendar and forms to contribute or find equipment donations and pro-bono studio time.
GoFundMe itself also reached out to assist with vetting the GoFundMes and making sure none of them were fraudulent. (As far as the publicist knows, none were, although one was removed at the request of the recipient as they felt their need wasn’t as great as others.) The company is also developing a column for the list that will automatically update how much money each individual GoFundMe has raised, along with the collective amount.
“At GoFundMe, we continue to be inspired by our community’s kindness, generosity and empathy, especially in moments like this,” a representative for the company tells Billboard. “These grassroots organizers compiling lists for communities have helped create a ripple effect of good by further amplifying fundraisers to help provide even more support for people in need.”
As the list has grown, it’s also expanded to include information regarding the possibility of FEMA and insurance companies monitoring the fundraisers and the potential of this affecting eventual payouts from these entities, with the list offering recommended wording to avoid this. It also contains links to similar spreadsheets for Black families, Latino families and Filipino families displaced by the fire, along with one listing domestic workers who’ve lost their employment.
“It’s so hard to leave thousands of people off this [music business] list,” says the publicist. “But it lets everyone start with their community. The mutual aid is so strong in L.A.”
The publicist has heard some criticism from people who’ve argued that the list contains names of “all the privileged people,” which she stresses is not true. “There are so many musicians of various stripes, colors and ages on this, from every genre,” she says. “Yes, there are some people of more privilege here, but by and large, a lot of these people are just families getting by. They’re music teachers, cellists, piano teachers, composers. It’s such a wide swath of the music business.”
Matthew Willems, a producer and label owner who, along with his girlfriend, lost everything after their one-bedroom apartment burned down in the Altadena fire, and whose name is on the list, says that in terms of immediate financial aid, “The only thing that’s really working is my GoFundMe.”
The publicist also notes that some of the particularly affluent people who’ve lost everything in the fires are not doing GoFundMes given that they’re able to deal with the situation with the financial resources they already have.
But, she says, “I think we have to have a lot of empathy for even the richest people that lost everything they loved and worked for — family photos, mementos, jewelry that their grandmother passed down. So much is gone from people, both rich and poor, that we have to have empathy for everybody. But we have to have monetary empathy for the working class.”
The willingness to help thus far is unabated. During the list’s eight days of existence, there’s always been between 20 and 150 people looking in the document at any given moment.
“You can’t even use the [updating] tools,” the publicist says, “because there’s too much traffic.”
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Roda Osman, a Texas woman largely referred to as “Brick Lady” on social media, has been charged with making a false assault claim where she said she was hit in the face with a brick. Osman went viral after sharing a video of injuries that were linked to the assault, raising over $40,000 on GoFundMe in the process.
Local outlet KPRC 2 reports that Roda Osman, 33, was charged with felony theft by deception after investigators discovered that Osman’s story didn’t add up. According to the report, Houston police responded to the scene of the alleged assault on Sept. 3 of last year, meeting with Osman and another woman. According to the officers, Osman was reportedly under the influence and hostile.
Osman told police that she was walking in the city when a man threw a brick at her for not giving up her phone number, according to findings from the court documents. Adding to this, Osman claimed that the driver of an Uber car service she ordered was the man who assaulted her and said that the man was part of a human trafficking scheme.
Almost two weeks later on Sept. 15, detectives attempted to contact Osman by phone but the number belonged to the woman that was on the scene of the alleged assault. The woman said she was not a native of Houston and went out drinking with Osman that night and added that Osman called male friends to provide transportation.
The woman said that when the pair entered the vehicle, Osman yelled out “why you hit me” but said she didn’t hear any sort of argument or discussion beforehand. Off the record, the woman said she didn’t think Osman was hit by a brick. The woman then said that the man suspected of hitting Osman exited the car and entered another vehicle before driving off. It was then that Osman decided to go live on Instagram with the woman suggesting she contact the authorities.
Days later on Sept. 20, Houston detectives obtained surveillance video footage and located Olan Douglas, the man Osman claimed hit her. Charging documents say that Douglas and Osman were arguing with Douglas reportedly swinging his right hand and striking Osman in the face with what appeared to be a plastic water bottle. This information has some supporters of Osman saying she was indeed assaulted but there was also an alleged account that Osman struck Douglas first.
As it stands, the issue is that the story Osman gave police neglected to reveal that she knew the man who allegedly struck her instead of it being a random person who was harassing her during her night out. This prompted Daphne Sutton, a popular TikTok user, to call Houston police and suggest that Osman made everything up because of an incident that allegedly place in Minnesota in 2020.
Sutton gave Houston police the GoFundMe link from 2020 that shared a similar bent to the Houston attack story and also obtained statements from Osman’s former roommate and friends. Minneapolis police said to Houston officials that Osman never reported the alleged assault despite launching the GoFundMe page. The roommate that Sutton spoke with also reached out to Houston police and said that Osman was scamming people out of money.
Roda Osman, who had prior criminal charges in the Virgin Islands, Minnesota, and across Texas, is currently out on bail for felony assault and domestic violence connected to an incident in Minnesota.
On X, formerly Twitter, many are reacting to the news. We’ve captured comments from all sides below.
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Comedienne Leslie Jones took Republican congressman George Santos to task for new revelations about his lying involving a disabled homeless veteran and his dying dog.
On Wednesday night’s episode (Jan. 19) of The Daily Show, guest host Leslie Jones opened up with the customary monologue detailing current events. When it came to discussing the embattled GOP House of Representatives member from New York, however, Jones kicked things off with one question. “Do you know how much you have to lie to be known as ‘the lying congressman?’” she asked.
That set the stage for the SNL veteran to disclose the latest scandal that Santos is allegedly involved in – he apparently set up a GoFundMe page in 2016 to help a homeless disabled veteran get surgery for his dog who was diagnosed with a tumor. Santos then reportedly kept the money – $3,000 – and cut off communication with the vet. The dog died shortly after. According to further reporting, GoFundMe took down the page from its platform after receiving complaints about it. “GoFundMe has a zero-tolerance policy for misuse of our platform and cooperates with law enforcement investigations of those accused of wrongdoing,” the company said in a statement when contacted by CNN.
“He didn’t just steal from a service dog. He didn’t just steal from a dying service dog. He stole from a disabled homeless veteran’s dying service dog!” Jones said in disbelief as the crowd booed the news in disgust. “You evil and stupid!!” She continued: “You’re gonna mess with somebody’s dog? Have you not heard of John Wick? Your ass is in trouble.”
Jones brought that segment to a close in an emphatic way. “Black people don’t get believed when they tell the truth,” she began. “Barack Obama was like, ‘hey, I was born in America’. And people were like, ‘Bulls—t! Where’s your birth certificate?” And this guy was like, ‘I was a Jewish millionaire volleyball star” and y’all were like ‘Hell yeah, put him in Congress!!!”
Check out the entire monologue from The Daily Show below.
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