Dan Baird Hospitalized for Leukemia

Dan Baird abruptly cancelled the remainder of his live dates for the rest of the year with a sudden announcement on his Facebook page on July 28th that he has chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which he noted is “one of the most addressable blood disorders.”

“Knew I had it and it was coming, but I thought it was a couple of years off. Not so,” Baird posted. “Older folks blood condition that wants to eat up your body and red blood cells as well as leave junked white blood cells like wrecked cars all over the blood stream. Inherited. Treatable. But debilitating in the short term when it picks up a head of steam, like now.”

Baird was in the middle of a UK tour with Homemade Sin (Warner Hodges, Mauro Magellan and Micke Bjork) at the time, and was admitted to a hospital in England for treatment. His bandmates finished the final three dates of the tour as a trio, to which Baird quipped, “if you don’t put the top hat on the mic stand and play a huggy kissie/Freebird medley at least once, I’ll never forgive you.”

Baird’s band The Yayhoos (with Eric Ambel and Terry Anderson but minus bass guitarist Keith Christopher this go ‘round) had announced an 11-date tour for August, their first in almost a decade, to kick off with a show at Eddie’s Attic on Aug. 15. Dan, we’re counting on you beating the crap outta this thing and making up those gigs, ya hear?