LONDON (CelebrityAccess) — When the Fall’s Mark E. Smith died late last month, the initial news reports about his passing did not include a cause of death but now, his family has disclosed that he died of complications from cancer.
In a statement posted to the band’s website, his sisters Barbara, Suzanne and Caroline revealed that Smith had both lung and kidney cancer at the time of his death.
“Mark fought a long and hard battle after his diagnosis of terminal lung and kidney cancer. He took every treatment going, which could be brutal at times and left Mark with some horrible side effects. Mark was such a strong man and hated letting his fans down and tried to carry on regardless against all advice,” Smith’s family wrote in the statement.
“Mark had a great life and loved and lived it to the full and always by his own rules and we, as his sisters were privileged to be part of it too.”
Smith’s family also took the opportunity to thank family, friends and fans for their condolences, and to thank members of the U.K.’s National Health Service for their assistance in treating their departed brother.
“Mark is at peace now and pain free, but we, his three sisters have been left heartbroken and will miss our big brother very much,” the three siblings concluded.