John Farnham’s sons Rob and James make plea following ‘tough time’ for family

John Farnham’s sons Rob and James have spoken about their father’s cancer battle to help promote the Cancer Council’s Daffodil Day on August 22.

The Australian music icon, 75, is continuing to recover from throat cancer following a devastating 2022 diagnosis and 12-hour surgery.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Rob and James Farnham speak out about John Farnham’s cancer battle.

He has since received an “all clear” regarding the cancer.

Rob and James Farnham, who are ambassadors for the Cancer Council’s Daffodil Day, filmed a video message with unseen family photos to urge others to donate to cancer research.

“The last couple of years have been difficult on our family,” Rob said in the video posted to Instagram.

“Our father was diagnosed with cancer two years ago.

“It started as an ulcer in his mouth, which turned out to be cancer. It was a tough time for our family.”

James emphasised how crucial initiatives such as Daffodil Day were to raise funds for research.

“Our Dad wouldn’t be here without cancer research. That’s why days like Daffodil Day are important.

“This Daffodil Day, for everything that cancer takes, please give!”

The video featured a carousel of family snapshots including John Farnham on a ski trip with his sons, dressed as Adam Ant at a costume party, performing with Coldplay’s Chris Martin at a 2009 benefit concert, and a throwback image with his wife Jill.

A more recent photo showed John supporting Rob at his wedding to Melissa in February 2024.

It comes after Rob and James Farnham joined Nat and Shirvo on Sunrise last Friday, to share an update on their dad and give Daffodil Day an early boost.

“He’s doing really well,” Rob said last week.

“Every day is another step forward, as it is for everyone with cancer. He’s just gotta keep moving forward and keeping positive, and you know, keep driving forward. That’s what it’s about.”

Urging others to donate to Daffodil Day, Rob added: “Given the fact that dad went through a brutal cancer, we were asked by Daffodil Day to be ambassadors. We jumped at the chance.

“It’s such an amazing opportunity to push that forward. And the things that they do for fundraising and research, it helps recovery process, helps families, helps the people that have the cancer.

“Cancer is one of those things that doesn’t just affect the person going through it, it affects everyone else around them.”

The boys went on to praise their mother, saying she had held the family together for the past two years, and also reflected on comments from global superstar Celine Dion, who paid tribute to Farnham in her own documentary I Am: Celine Dion, labelling him one of the greatest singers of all time.

“(Our dad) was pretty impressed — it was pretty cool for him to see it,” James said.

“He was quite surprised she spoke about him for so long, and he was the only singer he spoke about in the whole documentary.”

Reflecting on the Logie-winning John Farnham: Finding The Voice documentary, the Farnham boys praised the director Poppy Stockell, who they said “kicked it out of the park”.