We wish that this were a better health update.
Teddi Mellencamp has pursued aggressive treatments for her Stage 4 cancer, including brain surgery.
Last year, she shared positive news about her cancer battle.
Now, just a few months later, her famous father says that she’s “really sick” and suffering.
Unfortunately, the news isn’t good
On Wednesday, January 14, 74-year-old musician John Mellencamp did an interview on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
(Yes, that’s a weird thing to do, but the actual grim news that he has to share takes center stage over chatting with one of the worst influencers in the country)
During the chat, the rocker brought up his daughter, Teddi.
He shared that she is “really sick” amidst her battle with stage 4 brain cancer.
There was good news on that front last year, but she is currently “suffering.”
“It’s not f–king fun,” the musician understated about his daughter’s health battle.
“She’s got cancer in the brain,” he emphasized.
“And,” John continued, “she’s suffering right now.”
Teddi is 44 years old.
At this point, her cancer battle has defined her 40s.
He also described his parenting experiences
“That kid used to call me up and I’d go, ‘Teddi, you can have a thought without asking me if it’s … you know, figure it out yourself,’” John recalled fondly.
In terms of encouraging independence, he added: “You don’t have to ask me everything, you know?”
Teddi is the middle of John’s three daughters, all of whom are about a decade or so older than his two sons.
“Girls, at about 12 you lose them and then about 21 they come back,” he assessed.
John admitted: “I kinda lost mine.”
In 2022, Teddi revealed that she had received a diagnosis for Stage 2 melanoma.
(She has credited bestie Kyle Richards for encouraging her to get a spot looked at)
She underwent treatments to address the cancerous growth and appeared to be in the clear for a while.
Then, in April 2025, Teddi shared the bad news.
The cancer had spread, with tumors growing in her brain and lungs. That is Stage 4 cancer, and often terminal.
We hope that there’s better news soon
In October 2025, just six months after sharing that grim news (and only a few months ago), Teddi revealed that the cancer was “gone” after aggressive treatments.
However, no detectable cancer was not the same as no cancer. Doctors require years of clean tests before cancer is “in remission.”
It is unclear whether John meant that his daughter is suffering due to cancer, due to the after-effects of her cancer battle, or due to current cancer treatments.
Either way, she’s really going through it.
We wish Teddi a full recovery.