The singer/songwriter lost his dad, Butch Walker, Sr., to the disease in 2013 and now he has partnered with officials at the Nikki Mitchell Foundation to launch the Autumn Leaves Project.

The new initiative is aimed at finding a cure for pancreatic cancer and providing support to families affected by the illness, and Walker hopes the research funded by the charity will help to save lives in the near future.

He explains, "Pancreatic cancer doesn't give you a chance to reconcile with it, doesn't let you make plans sometimes, or prepare for the ending; it just usually sneaks up on you and gives you no warning until it's too late.

"We need better programs for pre-screening, we need more affordable alternatives to the methods and drugs that are out there to cope once it's diagnosed, and, most importantly, we've got to find a cure for it... It's time for us to deal with it."

The Nikki Mitchell Foundation was established in honour of country music manager Nikki Mitchell, who lost her battle with the disease in 2013, aged 58.