The Who And Debbie Harry Sign Up For Killing Cancer

The Who And Debbie Harry Sign Up For Killing Cancer

The Who and Blondie's Debbie Harry will play at a KILLING Cancer charity show next year.

The event will also see guitarist Jeff Beck and former The Verve singer Richard Ashcroft take to the stage to raise money for the charity, which funds research into cancer treatment by Photodynamic Therapy (PDT).

While presently an uncommon way of treating cancer, PDT is said to be able to kill cancer cells with a single treatment.

The concert is being masterminded by promoter Harvey Goldsmith, The Who's manager Bill Curbishley and singer Robert Plant; who have all lost people close to them to cancer.

Bill said he feels the charity’s research could have aided those he has lost to the disease, saying: "Robert and I had lived through the final months and days of close friends battling with cancer. But also fighting to overcome the effects of their treatments.

"Only later we discovered that PDT could perhaps have saved their lives - and certainly given them some dignity in their final weeks."

Harvey, who was good friends with soprano Luciano Pavarotti, who died of cancer, added: "I also lost my mother to cancer in the past 12 months. I saw how she struggled but finally lost the fight.

"The funds pledged, are giving pancreatic cancer patients real hope."

The future of The Who has been in doubt in recent months, after guitarist Pete Townshend revealed he may have to quit playing guitar because of hearing problems, after he was struck down with another bout of tinnitus - a painful ringing in the ears, which is a symptom of noise-induced hearing loss - at the beginning of this year.

He said: "If my hearing is going to be a problem, we're not delaying shows. We're finished. I can't really see any way around the issue."

Singer Roger Daltrey has, however, vowed to keep performing even if his bandmate id forced to quit.

The KILLING Cancer benefit show will take place at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo on January 13. Tickets will be on sale from www.hmvtickets.com next Friday (19.11.10).