Dead Moon’s Fred Cole Hospitalized, Said to Be “Very Ill”

A procedure to stop bleeding in his liver was successful, but the Portland punk legend faces "a lot of recovery time."

Fred Cole. IMAGE: facebook.com/piercedarrows.
By Matthew Singer

Portland punk legend Fred Cole was hospitalized Friday and treated for bleeding in his liver, according to a post on the Pierced Arrows Facebook page.

A procedure to stop the bleeding was successful, but Cole, 69, faces "a lot of recovery time."

A second update on his condition described him as "in good spirits," but noted that he is "still very ill" and that "[t]his is not over."

Cole, best known as the frontman of Dead Moon, has suffered several health scares in recent years. He underwent emergency bypass surgery in 2014, and collapsed onstage during a performance at Seattle's Bumbershoot festival in 2015. Last year, following the death of Dead Moon drummer Andrew Loomis, Cole and his wife, Toody, announced they were retiring from rock'n'roll, though they've continued to play acoustically as a duo.

"Fred cannot handle being up onstage for an hour and a half with a 25 pound guitar wrapped around his head," Toody told WW last year. "He's becoming too unsteady on his legs; his feet are numb."

On Friday, the Coles' son, Weeden, shared a photo on the Facebook page of the Dead Moon Fan Club of Fred Cole, with his hair shorn, in a hospital bed with Toody at his side. The photo has since been removed.

See Related: Portland Punk Legends Dead Moon Will Be Honored With Their Own Official "Night" Tomorrow at City Hall.

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