Queen have announced the death of their tour manager Gerry Stickells.
Brian May wrote, “So sad that our wonderful tour manager for many years Gerry Stickells passed away this morning. Lost for words. RIP GERRY. Love ya. Thanks for everything. Bri.”
Roger Taylor wrote, “Gerry Stickells, the world’s greatest tour manager passed away after a long struggle with illness.
He was more than a tour manager to Queen – he was a father figure, great friend and teacher and an island of calm in the midst of chaos. He had a profound effect on my life, all of it good.
From his early days with Jimi Hendrix through all the years with Queen and Paul McCartney, Gerry was THE MAN! We will miss him greatly and send love to Sylvia and the family at this difficult time.
With great sadness,
Roger.”
A GoFundMe campaign had previously been announced:
Sixteen years ago, Gerry Stickells was known as one of the best production mangers in the music world. He worked with Elton John , Paul McCartney, Queen, Steve Miller and many more. The only thing that could overshadow his professional capabilities was his personal compassion and generosity to others.
Years ago, after a show with Paul McCartney in Russia, Gerry suffered a seizure. He was flown back to the U.S. where he was seen by a neurologist and diagnosed with a benign meningioma (tumor) in his brain, lodged between his brain stem and the carotid artery. It was predicted that without removing the tumor, Gerry would die merely from the placement of the meningioma.
Gerry was told that he would be in the hospital for a week to ten days and the prognosis appeared to be hopeful. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse. Once inside, the surgeon discovered that the tumor was not as they had initially thought The doctors realized that the tumor had been there for a long time and proved impossible to remove. Gerry’s surgery was not successful. After many months in the hospital, he was discharged and unable to work again.
Since that fateful day, Gerry has had multiple health issues. He suffered a stroke in his spinal chord, has a shunt in his brain, is unable to speak clearly or walk. For the last two months, Gerry has been in ICU with breathing issues. He currently has a feeding tube and doctors have wanted to permanently intubate him. Hospice is now his only option.
Gerry was expected to live only 5 years. He has lived 15. Everything that Gerry has worked for has dwindled in round-the-clock care, medical supplies, therapists, and hospital costs and doctor services. Now with his current diagnosis, there will be no funds left to cover his hospice care.
Gerry has always wanted nothing more than to be sure that his wife, Sylvia, would be financially stable when he passed. As each day passes, this becomes less and less likely. Sylvia is Gerry’s best friend. She has been there through it all, and those that know Gerry best, want to help him keep his commitment to her. The picture is of Gerry and Sylvia. Her unyielding love and devotion to him is inspiring.
Thankfully, there have been some people in the Music Industry that have come forward over the past 15 years to help. Those funds helped to get Gerry through numerous medical “humps” and have brought him to today. With the staggering costs up ahead, Gerry and Sylvia do not have the resources to sustain him, let alone have something left over for Sylvia. This is why we created this Go Fund Me page.
Gerry would never ask for money, so those that love him are asking. We feel that Gerry deserves to have quality of life for the remainder of his time here. We don’t believe that a nursing home is the answer.
The funds raised would pay for his medical care and medical supplies for one year. Medical insurance does not cover long-term care. Medicare pays little to nothing.
Today, we are reaching out to anyone that knew him, whose lives he touched and to those who have a generous heart. We believe in humanity and the good in all of us. Gerry Stickells gave his all to everyone and now we want to give back to him. Please help us in this urgent need.
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