BLACKIE LAWLESS Asks W.A.S.P. Fans To 'Support' And 'Honor' CHRIS HOLMES In Guitarist's Battle With Prostate Cancer

W.A.S.P. leader Blackie Lawless has asked the band's fans to "support" and "honor" Chris Holmes as the group's former guitarist battles prostate cancer.

The 68-year-old Holmes recently began chemotherapy in France for prostate cancer, just years after undergoing treatment for throat surgery, his wife Catherine said in a GoFundMe fundraiser.

On Saturday (August 1),Lawless took to the W.A.S.P. social media to write: "The entire W.A.S.P. family are devastated with the news that our Brother and originator, Chris Holmes is now in a serious fight. We ask that all of you, who have been moved and touched by the Band stand with us all, to support, as well as to honor him with whatever you can do, be it financial, or words of peace and encouragement. Let him know what he's meant to you. W.A.S.P. Nation Support You All !!"

Holmes, who resides in France with his wife, is seeking financial support to cover the cost of cancer treatment.

"The treatment is essential and cannot be interrupted," Catherine wrote. "Because of an administrative error linked to our marriage registration, the health insurance system placed Chris under 'emergency only' coverage."

Chris was forced to "wait three months before receiving any care at all, and only the radiotherapy given during the month of July is covered," Catherine revealed. "Everything else falls to us," she added, listing hormone therapy, scans and PET scans, biopsies, blood tests, and daily trips to and from the hospital.

Catherine went on to say that the bills have accumulated, leaving them "€20,000 in medical debt," with "treatment ahead" set to "keep adding to it every month.

"Chris must remain in France to receive radiotherapy. Leaving the country would risk his emergency status lapsing, so he cannot travel and therefore cannot work," Catherine said. "Chris has given everything to his music and to the people who listen to it. It is his whole life. Today we cannot carry this alone."

She expressed gratitude to France for "granting the emergency coverage that allowed Chris to begin radiotherapy. Now we ask, humbly, for help covering everything else."

The GoFundMe goal is set to €50,000. So far, nearly €20,000 has been donated.

This past April, Holmes canceled his previously announced tour of the United Kingdom and Scandinavia, scheduled for May 2026. A week after it was announced by the social media of The Abyss club in Gothenburg, Sweden, where Holmes was scheduled to perform on May 27, that the musician was scrapping his shows in May "due to health issues that require immediate attention", his wife said that the shows were called off due to "a minor prostate issue" which was "already being taken care of." She added that Chris would "be back on his feet and on stage soon."

After Holmes was diagnosed with throat and neck cancer in February 2022, he immediately postponed his touring commitments while he received treatment. He completed seven weeks of radiation therapy and five months later, he shared the good news with fans that his cancer was "gone".

In September 2022, Chris told Canada's The Metal Voice that he hadn't heard from Blackie since his throat and neck cancer diagnosis. He said: "Blackie could have helped to pay for some of my treatment, but [he didn't]. But Nikki Sixx [MÖTLEY CRÜE] did. He gave me a lot of money. He was the first one; he forked over 500 bucks, and I love the guy for it. Thank you, Nikki. I love him for that."

He continued: "About the first month I was sick, [I got video messages of support from fellow musicians] and [I got one from JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford]. [In his message, he said], 'Chris, this is your Metal God, Rob Halford.' And it was kind of cool. Rob talked a little bit on there. And then the guitar player that took [Glenn] Tipton's gig [Richie Faulkner] thanked me. A bunch of… tons of people did. But nobody from W.A.S.P. did. It's kind of weird. Nobody. [Blackie] didn't send me a message at all. I thought he would, but he didn't. But that's okay; I didn't expect it. Glenn Hughes did. I met Glenn on the [BLACK] SABBATH tour [in 1986, when W.A.S.P. was the support act]. What's sad is I haven't been able to talk to him since he was fired [from SABBATH]. And we were good drinking buddies [on that tour]. He's got a heart of gold."

A few hours after Chris's throat and neck cancer diagnosis was made public in February 2022, Lawless released a statement via W.A.S.P.'s social media in which he said: "The entire W.A.S.P. family are all optimistic of a positive outcome concerning the diagnosis for Chris. I certainly wish him the very best."

Holmes joined W.A.S.P. in 1982 and remained with the group until 1990. In 1996, the guitarist returned to W.A.S.P. and stayed with the band until 2001. Chris has not played with W.A.S.P. since.

In 2021, Holmes told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that W.A.S.P. was "a group, a band" on the first LP. "And after that, the second album, it wasn't a group — it was a one-man show," he said. "And it's been a one-man show after that ever since. It's the way it is. Look at the records. It's the way it is in that band."

According to Chris, he, guitarist Randy Piper, drummer Tony Richards and Blackie Lawless were all part of W.A.S.P. initial management contract, but Blackie was the only one signed to the record label. "Everybody thinks we [all] signed to the label, but it wasn't [like that]," Holmes told "Trunk Nation".

Despite the fact that he only got songwriting credit on a couple of the songs on each of the first four W.A.S.P. records, Holmes was adamant that his input was essential to the band's overall sound."If I would have quit after the first album, the way I play guitar, the way I play is really important to writing those songs," he told "Trunk Nation".

"If I hadn't joined in the beginning, it would have never worked. Blackie told me that the first day, when he came and talked to me to play in W.A.S.P. He says, 'I've got this band. It's not gonna work unless you're in it.' He told me that to my face."

In February 2022, Lawless shot down Holmes's claim that the guitarist was "screwed" out of receiving royalties on the W.A.S.P. albums that he performed on. Lawless discussed Holmes's tenure with W.A.S.P. in an interview with "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Asked to respond to Holmes's assertion in Chris's documentary "Mean Man: The Story Of Chris Holmes" that he was financially taken advantage of during his time in the band, Lawless said: "I don't really know much about… I spoke to [former W.A.S.P. guitarist] Randy Piper a couple of years ago. I don't really know what's going on with the rest of the guys. And I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about with Chris about not being paid.

"Chris, at two different points in his musical career, received settlements from this band; he signed documents as such," Blackie explained. "And he was paid quite well.

"I haven't seen what you're talking about. The answer I'm giving you right now is based on what you just said to me."

The W.A.S.P. frontman went on to confirm that he hasn't seen Chris's documentary and was once again asked about Holmes's claim that there is money and songwriting credits that he didn't get that he's due. Lawless said simply: "That is not true."

During a November 2017 press conference in Moscow, Russia, Lawless was asked what he would say to those W.A.S.P. fans who continue to call for the band to reunite with Holmes. He responded: "People get divorced for certain reasons, and there's times when the kids want the parents to get back together, but sometimes it never happens. And this is one of those [times]. Sorry."