Coal Chamber and DevilDriver frontman Dez Fafara has publicly revealed for the first time that he was diagnosed with a benign tumor roughly two years ago following a frightening medical episode involving vertigo and a blackout.
Speaking on The Garza Podcast with Suicide Silence guitarist Chris Garza, Fafara detailed the health scare that ultimately led doctors to discover the non-cancerous growth.
According to Fafara, the ordeal began unexpectedly after a routine day of exercise.
“The vertigo thing really fucking threw me off, dude, ’cause it was a great Saturday afternoon. I’d been running miles and miles on the treadmill every day, and all of a sudden I had vertigo out of nowhere, and that took me out for almost a year.”
The vocalist explained that extensive testing eventually uncovered the tumor, though he chose not to discuss it publicly while continuing to work and tour.
“For, I would say, over a year, maybe almost two years now, we’ve been dealing with a situation where they found a tumor in my head. So, they want me back in every six months.”
Doctors have reportedly opted against surgery for now due to the tumor’s location and the potential risks involved.
“It’s gotta actually grow a little bit to be safe to go in [and operate], ’cause it’s very unsafe. If they go to get it now, I could lose speech and a lot of other stuff.”
Fafara went on to reveal that the growth was ultimately determined to be non-cancerous following additional testing.
Recalling the moment he received the news, he stated:
“I got a tumor in my head and it’s not cancerous. Cool. We can beat this fucking thing.”
The vocalist also shared that the tumor is located near his jaw and salivary gland, making surgery particularly delicate.
“It’s in my jawline, a little bit higher, on my saliva gland. And they’re, like, ‘It’s gotta be bigger for us to fuck with this because this could…’ It could affect my blinking, my smiling, my speaking.”
Despite the diagnosis, Fafara remains optimistic about his prognosis. He told listeners that recent scans have shown the tumor becoming slightly smaller, something he says his doctors did not expect.
“The last time I went in, it was a couple of months ago, and then [the doctor] said, ‘Hey, look, it’s actually gotten a little, little bit smaller, which we’ve never seen.’”
Fafara credits his lifestyle changes, including fasting, dietary adjustments, and maintaining a positive outlook, for helping him through the situation.
“I’m of the mindset… that I’m gonna make it go away. I’m personally gonna make it go away with dieting, fasting and positive thought. It’s gonna go away. So the next time I go in… it’s gonna shrink more.”
The revelation sheds additional light on the health issues that forced Coal Chamber to cancel tour plans in 2024. At the time, Fafara was also dealing with lingering effects from long COVID, though he had not yet publicly disclosed the tumor diagnosis.
Despite the ongoing monitoring, Fafara made it clear that he has no plans to slow down professionally.
“I wanted to share that with you because I haven’t shared anything [with anyone]… But no, I’m not gonna cancel tours. I’m showing up in Australia. I’m showing up in August. Nothing’s gonna stop that.”
The news comes as Coal Chamber drummer Mikey Cox has also been dealing with his own health battle, recently undergoing what was reported to be his final planned surgery following cancer treatment.
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