Singer Daryl Braithwaite gives health update five months after retiring due to breathing issues

Australian singer-songwriter Daryl Braithwaite has given an update on his health as he advocates for others to stay on top of their lung health checks.

Braithwaite, 77, rose to fame as the lead vocalist in the 1970s rock band Sherbet, before embarking on a successful solo career with hits such as The Horses and As The Days Go By.

WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Daryl Braithwaite champions lung cancer screening campaign

The ARIA hall of fame inductee was forced to retire from live performances almost six months ago, after he was diagnosed with a condition that caused breathing issues.

Speaking with Sunrise on Saturday, Braithwaite said despite his retirement from music, he had no intention of sitting idle and had taken up a role advocating for the National Lung Cancer Association.

Having quit smoking about 25 years ago, Braithwaite is encouraging Australians aged 50 to 70 to request free lung cancer screenings from their local GP.

“I have a breathing problem and I thought, if I can get some people to come and get a scan, just as a preventative, I thought that’s right up my alley,” he said.

Braithwaite said he and his generation grew up in a time when smoking was a part of every day life, and he agreed he had toured and playing in many smokey venues over the years.

“I smoked and I gave up about 25 years ago and have never felt better,” he said.

“So it’s really saying to the people out there, my generation, go and see your GP. It’s free, they scan for lung cancer, and they’ll pick it up before it starts to develop — I know being that age group, you sort of think, ‘oh, no, I won’t do it’, but do it. It’s fantastic. It really will help.”

Braithwaite admitted it was difficult for him and a lot of people of his generation to give up smoking.

“You try and try, and then one day it just snaps and you give up (smoking) and that’s the best thing,” he said.

During his own recovery from breathing issues, Braithwaite said while he is still only able to go to the park for an hour a day, he has been improving thanks to treatment and breathing exercises.

“I have got a breathing problem, it stopped me from singing five months ago, which I’m working on, you know, exercising and doing all this sort of stuff hoping that I’d be able to sing again,” he said.

“I doubt that that will come off, but touchwood that I’m going alright.”

While he said he continues to attend concerts to make up for not being able to sing, he still wishes he could be up on stage.

“I look at it and I go, ‘oh, how good would it be to be up on stage?’, but, you know, a certain thing comes along and taps you on the shoulder.”

“I look back on it sometimes and think it’s a great legacy and I’m very proud of it. From the days with Sherbet, to the solo (career). You know, you just move on.”

Braithwaite said while he is happy at the thought of Australians continuing to listen to his music, he also hopes they will take his advice and “go and get a lung scan”.