Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Peter Frampton has reached a kind of peace in his fight against the rare and progressive muscle disease Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM). Speaking to Page Six, Frampton, 76, said he feels like the “luckiest guy alive” despite announcing in 2019 that he was fighting the disease that causes a “slow, painless muscle weakening and inflammation,” typically affecting the wrists, fingers and quadriceps, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
While there is currently no cure for the disease, Frampton said he’s a “very positive person. I know the endgame, but it doesn’t bother me,” describing how he’s learned how to change his life by using a cane and a grabber tool at home, as well as switching up his signature guitar style. “It’s a challenge, and I’m always up for a challenge,” the guitarist/singer said about learning new ways to strum due to the disease, whose symptoms can be delayed somewhat by physical therapy.
“My outlook on it is, ‘That’s life,’” said Frampton, who released his 19th studio album as a solo artist and first one of all new song in 16 years last month, Carry the Light. In addition, a new documentary, Frampton, was screened on Thursday night (June 4) at the Tribeca Festival in New York. “I’ve been so lucky. I’ve had an up-and-down career, but in the long run, I look at everything. Look at the last 60 years. Wow, I’m the luckiest guy alive!,” he told Page Six.
His now six-plus-year battle against IBM has changed Frampton’s outlook on life, leading him to understand that everyone is “fighting a battle” of some sort. “It just made me realize that kindness is the most important thing,” he added, “because when you meet someone that you know or don’t know, you have no idea what’s going on in their life or in their body or whatever. So I just decided that I’m going to concentrate on kindness.”
The film began as a chronicle of Frampton’s Finale — The Farewell Tour, which kicked off in 2019, with the guitarist originally suggesting that longtime bandleader Rob Arthur direct a look at the shows. It was co-produced by Frampton’s son, Julian Frampton, who also co-wrote and co-produced the new album, which features guests Tom Morello, Sheryl Crow, saxophonist Bill Evans, Graham Nash, former Tom Petty keyboardist Benmont Tench and H.E.R.
In keeping with his positive attitude, Frampton recently told Billboard that he’s already working on his next album, with six tracks “waiting in the wings … and I’ve already got four embryonic ideas ready for me and Julian to sit down and do the same thing again, which is exciting ’cause I get to spend more time with him.”
