Stewart Francke
Motor City singer/songwriter

It was 1998…Stew can remember like if it were yesterday.  The vivid memory of a priest rubbing holy water on his feet as he lay unconscious at Henry Ford hospital in the cancer ward.

He recalled opening up his eyes and thinking to himself, “I didn’t order a foot massage.”  Even though he was unable to speak, he wanted to shout ,”Hey, I’m not that sick.”

When in reality he was dying.  He remembers his wife and soul mate whispering in his ear, “Stew are you giving up?”

This may have been one of those moments you read about or hear about on 60 Minutes.  Whatever the case may be, he fought and fought hard.  Believe what you want, this Detroit rocker/legend was not ready to go anywhere.

Today, 12 years after his diagnosis with leukemia, Stew, 53, offered some very insightful thoughts on aging not only as a man who almost died, but also as an aging musician and songwriter.

Incidentally, we filmed this interview in front of the world famous Diego Rivera mural at the Detroit Institute of Arts.  It fits Stewart so well as a hard working musician from the Motor City.