LOWER EAST SIDE — When the family of musician Adam Roth set up an online campaign to help pay for his medical expenses, they didn’t expect to raise more than $90,000 in the first day.
The donations came rolling in soon after his partner, Marta Maletz, set up a GoFundMe page on Sunday, where his family also announced that the composer and musician — who had played for bands like Del Fuegos and Hoy Boy and the Doys — was diagnosed with stage four bile duct cancer.
“It’s been very overwhelming,” said Maletz, who was “shocked” at how quickly the campaign had achieved its $50,000 goal.
But the outpouring of support was hardly surprising, considering Roth’s outgoing personality and the breadth of his work, said friends and family.
“I hope it doesn’t come off like I’m bragging, but I’m not surprised,” said his older brother Charly Roth. “He’s always been just so social and giving and just an honest player with everybody that I knew the shockwave this was going to create.”
Roth, 57, moved to New York in 1979 and lived in the Lower East Side for decades, where he played in various bands and worked with poet John Giorno, “Basketball Diaries” author Jim Carroll and others, according to Roth’s loved ones and his website.
Roth eventually moved to Prospect Heights in 2008, although he is currently the guitarist for The Liza Colby Sound, a Lower East Side rock band.
The musician also volunteered his time, helping young people battle addiction through the Road Recovery Foundation, Maletz said. He also performed at the “Comics Come Home” benefit in Boston for The Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer Care with comedian Dennis Leary, who he regularly collaborated with, according to Maletz and his brother, Charly Roth.
A good cause for a great and talented musician: https://t.co/5SMlrFb28z
— Denis Leary (@denisleary) November 2, 2015Roth has also composed music for commercials and television shows like Showtime’s “7 Deadly Sins” and FX’s “Rescue Me,” according to his website.
The crowdfunding campaign has raised more than $93,000 to help pay for Roth's alternative health care — which is not covered by insurance — since he has decided to forgo conventional cancer treatments, according to the GoFundMe page.
Roth’s family said they appreciated all the support they have received so far.
“Thank you for all the love,” Maletz said. “We’re super grateful for all the people who’s reached out with all their kind words and well wishes. It’s been amazing.”
