The country music world has been praying for and celebrating the career of The Mavericks frontman Raul Malo as he battles stage 4 cancer and leptomeningeal disease in a hospital.
The singer, who was honored with a two-night celebration at the Ryman Auditorium over the weekend, has been in the headlines plenty as he and his wife, Betty Malo, share his battle.
Malo, 60, also made headlines back on the Fourth of July when he spoke out against the practices of Donald Trump.
“The words ‘liberty and justice for all’ have faded into a distant past,” he wrote on social media. “To some of us those words were deeply personal. My family came here because of those words. I was born here because of those words. I have had an extraordinary life because of those words. And now those words have lost their meaning. They are now abstract concepts used to inflict cruelty and suffering on the unsuspecting, the weak, the sick, the poor, the needy. We can add Purple Heart war veterans to that list as several have been deported already. This is America right now.
“Some will tell me that I should leave the country or my favorite ‘shut up and sing (A statement so void of any sense that it is impossible to execute),’” he continued. “On the ‘leaving’ part … that may come true whether I want to leave or not. The way the new law stands my mother could be stripped of her naturalized citizenship, then my sister and I would be illegal birthright citizens and away we go. As far as ‘shut up and sing’ well, clearly that’s not happening. You see the thing is this is my country too. Always has been. My country has been that beacon on the hill for so long and for so many.”
Malo was not through.
“As Lady Liberty’s flame dims with every atrocity committed in her name, we will not be afraid of the dark,” he wrote. “We will find the light again.”
He encouraged his followers to “think about what the Stars and Stripes mean to you.”
“Think about the words that we’re supposed to live by … The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, our Bill of Rights,” he wrote. “Think about the food you’re eating. Who harvested the corn? Who picked the strawberries? Who raised the beef for this feast? How did the apples end up in this pie? Who built this beautiful house with the beautiful deck that your family is enjoying today? Think about it. This isn’t about politics anymore. It’s about humanity. It’s about all of us. We, the people.”
Malo has often spread messages of love among his fans, and that was given back as he was unable to attend the show at the Ryman after being hospitalized on Thursday.
The Mavericks made sure he felt the love by bringing the concert to his bedside. Malo’s wife, Betty, shared video of the heartwarming scene on her Instagram. Raul can be seen in the video while the group serenaded him with their song, “Moon & Stars.”
“Heaven’s got the moon and stars/Funny how they always are,” they sang while playing their instruments. “Shining down from high above/Never giving up on love.”
Fans were moved to see the group and Malo’s loved ones surrounding him with so much love at such a heartbreaking time.
“We love you Raul & Betty,” James Otto replied. “This is beautiful.”
“Thank you Betty for allowing us to have a glimpse of what Raul’s beautiful life is like these days,” another person wrote. “He is so loved and I will continue to pray that God gives you all the strength to get through this. All my love and prayers to Raul and the family!”
“The love in that room for a wonderful man is bigger and stronger than the moon,” another person wrote. “I feel so very lucky to have been able to have Raul’s amazing voice wash over me so many times on the outlaw cruise. And the 25 other times I got to see this amazing band perform. There will never be another.”
“It’s beautiful you sharing his gift of music back to him,” another wrote. “My heart is broken that he is hurting … I want to say keep fighting people can bounce back but I also want him to know God loves him and he will be okay. Sending you all love.”
“This hits the heart!!” Julia Torrez replied. “I’m here sobbing listening to the music, laughter you’re bringing to Raul!!! Betty you’re a strong woman! His mom has to be hurting so much for her son!”
There were plenty of other comments like that, and you can see those and Betty Malo’s post with The Mavericks singing to Raul here.
The beloved singer has long shared his cancer battle with fans, but in September he announced he also has leptomeningeal disease.
“Dear Friends, I want to update you all on my health, as things have taken a turn,” he wrote on Facebook. “As it goes with cancer, it’s a very unpredictable and indiscriminatory disease. I’ve developed something called LMD, which stands for ‘get this (expletive) out of my head.’ Treatment for this is radiation, which I will start tomorrow. We will probably jump into some chemo and are even looking at alternative therapies. But it’s time to take to heart your words of resting & recovering, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
