Alongside vocalist Jack Russell, guitarist Mark Kendall formed the hard rock band that would eventually become Great White in 1977. Thanks to songs like “Once Bitten, Twice Shy,” the Los Angeles rockers enjoyed mainstream success in the late ’80s and early ’90s. A year after Russell’s death at age 63, Mark Kendall is sharing his own health woes.
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Mark Kendall Assures Fans His Cancer Journey Is “Going in the Right Direction”
Taking to social media Saturday (Nov. 22), Mark Kendall revealed that he was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer a few months ago. The 68-year-old guitarist explained that he wanted to gather more information before going public. Now, having completed three radiation treatments, he is ready to share his journey.
“Just to give you an update the tumor has shrunk from 13 centimeters to 8, so I’m going in the right direction with my first scan,” Kendall wrote on Facebook. “There isn’t a cure for cancer but what I have is manageable. I have the best doctor’s in the world and one of them invented Immunotherapy which is the treatment I’m on.”
He continued, “To be clear, I don’t need any financial help but I’ll take prayers & encouragement! I’m gonna fight this thing and be okay. People in my support group were diagnosed with my exact issue up to 20 yrs ago, so that is encouraging! Blessings All!”
On the Loss of Jack Russell
Less than a month after announcing his retirement from touring, Great White frontman Jack Russell died August 7, 2024, from complications of Lewy’s body dementia and multiple system atrophy. He was 63 years old.
Mark Kendall opened up about the loss of his longtime bandmate during an August 2025 interview with Detroit radio station WRIF, calling Russell “one of the all-time great rock singers.”
“He had this incredible work ethic in the studio. But addiction… it just wrecked him,” Kendall said.
Russell struggled with addiction issues, even spending 11 months in prison after an attempted robbery while high on PCP. “I was by his bedside for seven days straight in rehab,” Kendall recalled. “We had an intervention. He just couldn’t stay sober. I think he was never comfortable in his own skin without something.”
Still, Kendall insisted there was no animosity between the two. “We were connected at the hip. Never had an argument,” he said. “I just wanted people to remember how great he was. He could sing anything.”
Featured image by Scott Legato/Getty Images
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