Iconic Australian singer John Farnham finds himself humbled by the outpouring of love and support from fans and well-wishers, following the success of his documentary and his recent health battle.
Farnham was deeply touched as his music surged to conquer the ARIA charts in the wake of his celebrated biopic, Finding the Voice.
At the age of 74, Farnham has now achieved a remarkable feat, securing an astounding 12 out of the top 20 positions in the album charts, while an additional five of his albums claimed impressive spots within the 20 to 40 range, as recently reported on The Morning Show.
In light of this chart-topping success, Farnham’s son, Robert, and his long-time friend, Gaynor Wheatley, revealed the legendary entertainer was “chuffed” with the overwhelming support from his adoring fans and the success of the biographical film.
“He’s been totally engaged with the weekly figures,” Wheatley told hosts Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies.
“It’s been a real thrill for him and I think he’s really been humbled by the support and the love that he’s been shown and it’s paid off in the box office, which is phenomenal.”
According to Robert, his father was taken aback by the surge in popularity of his albums on the ARIA charts following the documentary’s premiere.
“I think dad called me a couple of times,” he said.
“He’s like, ‘You seen the ARIA charts?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s pretty great.’
“He was so chuffed but I mean, he’s really humble. He’s the type of guy that kind of didn’t understand why.
“And he’s like, ‘Oh, it’s crazy. It’s so old and blah, blah, blah’ – but he just doesn’t understand that it’s a part of the Australian psyche.
“So it’s really special.”
After offering their unwavering support to Farnham, fans were no doubt overjoyed to hear this week that the entertainment legend is now “cancer free” and has even started singing again.
In August 2022, the singing icon behind the chart-topping anthem You’re The Voice underwent surgery and treatment for mouth cancer. Sadly, Farnham experienced a setback when he was readmitted to the hospital in late March of this year due to a respiratory infection.
Now almost a year on from his shocking diagnosis, Robert offered a promising update on his father’s road to recovery, adding that he is “doing really good”.
“He’s doing fantastic,” he said during a recent appearance on Sunrise.
“Just the other day he was, you know, walking around with his cane and did a little bit of a dance, which was pretty fabulous.
“He’s walking with his dog a lot — so he’s really, really happy.
“He’s doing really good, he’s super positive.
“Like we’ve said before, cancer is a terrible, terrible thing. And it’s his time to walk that road, but he’s cancer free.”
Not only has Farnham triumphed over cancer, but fans will certainly be overjoyed to hear that he has begun belting out the tunes once again at home.
“And, yeah, he’s doing really, really good. So, it’s very, very good to hear him,” Robert revealed.
“He sings at home again, the whole thing.”