John Farnham’s sons reveal telltale sign rockstar father missed before shock cancer diagnosis

The sons of music legend John Farnham have revealed how their father mistook a cancerous lump for a painful mouth ulcer and the subtle sign he made in hospital to put his worried family at ease. 

The 73-year-old is still recovering from a 12-hour operation that required 26 surgeons to remove a cancerous growth from his mouth and part of his jaw on August 23. 

His sons, Robert, 41, and James, 34, told A Current Affair their father was committed to making a full recovery and revealed how he assured them he was going to be OK.  

‘When we first went in and saw him, he couldn’t actually talk but we’re like ‘Dad, you’re gonna push through. You’re gonna fight’,’ Robert said.

‘He kept sticking his fist in the air, going ‘yeah’.’

His sons, Robert and James, (pictured) said their father was committed to making a full recovery and revealed the subtle sign he used to put them at ease

Younger brother James revealed for the first time how his father had received his shock mouth cancer diagnosis. 

‘He was having trouble sleeping, he likes to sleep on his side, and he had a lump in his cheek which Mum noticed too and made him go to the dentist,’ he said. 

‘The dentist noticed it too and referred him to someone that knew more about it.’

Robert said his father had initially thought the lump was a mouth ulcer, which was causing him pain when it rubbed against his teeth. 

‘It turned out to be cancerous,’ he said. ‘It’s f***ing terrifying’. 

The brothers said their father had informed them over the phone of the diagnosis as soon as received the news. 

‘It was unexpected,’ James said. ‘It wasn’t something anyones prepared for.

The Farnham boys thanked the fans who sent the family messages of support. 

‘It was kind of comforting to know that Australia was behind him, I know that he appreciated that, I remember when we first told him, he got teary,’ James said.

‘He never expects everyone to still love him. 

‘But they do, so it was nice for him to hear that, thank you everyone.’

Farnham (pictured in 2020) is still recovering from a 12-hour operation that required 26 surgeons to remove a cancerous growth from his mouth and part of his jaw in August

The musician is being supported by his wife Jill and their two adult sons Robert and James (pictured, the Farnham family pose for a photo in 2018)

The brothers credited their mother Jill, who has been married to Farnham for 49 years, for being the family’s rock during their father’s cancer scare. 

‘Without Mum, I think things would fall apart very, very fast,’ Robert said.

‘She’s a very strong woman,’ his younger brother James agreed.  

He said his father is in recovery following a ‘pretty hairy’ surgery and was feeling a lot ‘chirpier’ and even cracking jokes.  

Farnham is said not to be thinking about the possibility of singing again but instead focusing on making a full recovery. 

‘There’s a long way to go, It’s definitely not on his mind,’ Robert said.

The brothers spoke candidly about what it was like to have a ‘very public’ last name and how they kept the details of their father’s surgery under wraps. 

The brothers credited their mother Jill, who has been married to Farnham for 49 years, for being the family’s rock during their father’s cancer scare

 Farnham’s sons Robert and James revealed their father had mistaken a cancerous lump for a painful mouth ulcer and was encouraged by his wife Jill to go to the dentist

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‘A lot of people are fans and love him, you sort of live through it publicly which can be quite difficult,’ Robert said. 

‘Everyone’s just so loving and caring, it was a little bit of cloak and dagger because people were trying to find out where he was. 

‘So we had secret passwords and stuff and nothing ever got out, which is a credit to the people that were involved.’

Both of Farnham’s sons have encouraged his musical gift with Robert the singer of rock band Rival Fire and James working as a sound engineer. 

Farnham and his manager Glenn Wheatley created the album Whispering Jack in 1996, with no Australian musician selling more records since its release.

Gaynor Wheatley, the widow of Glenn Wheatley, said Farnham’s family only learnt of his cancer a few weeks before his operation.

‘I think John suffers from that man thing that says ”I’m fine”, and was lucky, and we have Jill to thank to take him to the doctors (where they) found this legion in his mouth which has now been taken out and addressed,’ she told The Today Show. 

She said there was no complications, and thanked the ‘hero’ surgeons who operated on Farnham, adding he was expected to be ‘looking great’ by Christmas. 

‘I think at one stage there was 26 surgeons, so they’re our heroes, they’re our rockstars,’ Ms Wheatley said.

Farnham earlier opened up about his smoking habit, which he says began when he was a ‘stupid’ 14-year-old.

He quit ‘cold turkey’ in 1992 after starring in Jesus Christ Superstar, but picked up the habit again with cigars in 2004.

He officially quit smoking for good just before his 70th birthday. 

‘Stupid habit. It was a little easier to quit from cigars, but I’m better off not smoking, I’m a bloody singer for God’s sake,’ he told the Herald Sun in 2019.

Farnham (pictured in 2016) said in a statement provided by his family before his operation, that a cancer diagnosis was something many people face each day

‘I’m using my lungs. I’ve already noticed the change. I’ve increased my range, I’ve got a bit more to give, I’ve taken a blockage out.’

Farnham, in a separate statement provided by the family before his operation, said a cancer diagnosis was something many people face each day ‘and countless others have walked this path before me’.

‘The one thing I know for sure is that we have the very best specialist health care professionals in Victoria and we can all be grateful for that. I know I am,’ he said.

It comes three years after Farnham was hospitalised with a severe kidney infection – which saw him put down cigars for good.