Beloved rock frontman opens up about cancer diagnosis: ‘Unsure of how this will all go’

EntertainmentDouglas Dulgarian revealed his cancer diagnosis this week. (Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images)Getty ImagesBy Brian Linder | blinder@pennlive.comDouglas Dulgarian, the frontman for the popular shoegaze group They Are Gutting a Body of Water, has been diagnosed with cancer. He shared the news in a social media post this week.“Super bummed to have to talk about this and super bummed to do this,” he wrote on Instagram. “I was diagnosed with cancer last Friday, same day we put out Kool Faith, crazy day, every possible emotion lmao. “We obviously can’t do the tour, as I need to get this figured out,” he added. “I have treatment in a couple weeks. I have a feeling it will all work out. Been thru a lot of things in my crazy and (atp) relatively long existence and I’m no stranger to putting my best foot forward and facing some difficult (stuff).”They Are Gutting a Body of Water was formed in Philadelphia in 2017.It released its first album, “Gestures Been,” in 2018. It’s fourth and most recent album, “Lotto,” was released in 2025. Rolling Stone gave it four out of five stars in a review.“I wanna make this clear,” Dulgarian added in his statement. “I’m not seeking pity. I do not want to sway your emotions to feel bad for me. I just want to inform you. I genuinely believe this will work out just fine. There are many people with much worse problems and my life has been so infinitely blessed and privileged & I never lose sight of that. Also I don’t think that kind of mindset is beneficial. If I start to believe that I deserve pity form others, I would feel bad for myself, & that’s the beginning of giving up. This aint’ the end of the world. We’re gonna keep the Philly & nyc dates on the schedule in hopes I’ll be able to do it.”The show in New York is scheduled for Dec. 10 while the show in Philadelphia is slated for Dec. 18. “Life’s so weird man,” Dulgarian continued. “I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Most of the time I don’t understand why at the time, but it always make sense in the end. I’m sure this situation is no different. The fact that I got the diagnosis the same day we put out a massive compilation featuring as many friends as I could muster, well that symbolism that is not lost on me. I know I can be real corny sometimes but music and community has given me a purpose in my life that I didn’t have before I found it. You live one time and I haven’t got time to not mean everything I say, or to leave things unsaid. “I love nothing more than making music and seeing my friends & it breaks my heart to cancel a tour,” he added. “I hope what I can walk away with form the situation is gratitude for another experience. I’ve been blessed to experience a full spectrum of emotion in my life. Very good, very bad, a whole lot in between. I’m scared and unsure of how this will all go. The prognosis seems to be pretty good. That’s cool. “Love yall. I’ll keep ya posted.”Brian Linder is the trending editor at PennLive.com. He has more than 20 years of experience working for newspapers first in South Carolina, then Daytona Beach, Florida and now in Pennsylvania. Linder spent...