The Thai metalcore band Annalynn announced Thursday (Nov. 21) that it would go on hiatus after its vocalist admitted to faking a cancer diagnosis and scamming fans.
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Thai Singer Lied About Illness To Pay Off Personal Debts
Annalynn vocalist Nathaphon “Bon” Jutathaveewan announced his stomach cancer diagnosis this past July. The website Discomfort Wings shared a GoFundMe from the band’s label, Greyscale Records, requesting donations to help with the singer’s emergency surgery.
“Being from a third world country such as Thailand, this type of expense doesn’t come easy for a local,” read the page.
However, Jutathaveewan has now publicly admitted to lying about the illness in order to square away personal debts.
“The situation escalated to the point where I couldn’t see a way out, and I was placed under immense pressure, both financially and personally, which led to the mistakes I made,” he said in a statement, via Lambgoat.
Offering his “sincerest apologies” and expressing “deep regret,” Jutathaveewan accepted full responsibility for the scam.
He concluded the message by emphasizing that neither his bandmates nor the record label were aware of his deception.
Annalynn Appears To Have Disbanded Permanently
The “remaining” members of Annalynn—Nuttapop Cheunsuktananun, Supatchaya Sompong, Eakaratch Kaewsomdej and Nattabhol Larp-ar-parat—issued their own statement on social media Thursday (Nov. 21.)
The four musicians expressed “deep” sadness and disappointment at their seemingly former vocalist’s actions. Additionally, they expressed a commitment to assisting anyone affected by them.
“[We] are heartbroken that this trust was misused by someone we considered a brother,” the statement read.
Statement from the Remaining Members of ANNALYNN (Eak, Pob, Boss, and Mong) pic.twitter.com/Baa8oKKuaa
— ANNALYNN OFFICIAL (@ANNALYNN_Band) November 21, 2024
Further, Annalynn announced plans to “suspend all activities,” including performances and merch sales.
Jutathaveewan had seemingly been with the band since its inception in 2004, following the breakup of several local metal bands. Annalynn has released six albums, the last one being 2021’s A Conversation with Evil.
A fan expressed their disappointment on Instagram, commenting, “For real? I was deceived big time. I was genuinely heartbroken when i read the news he got cancer and actually trying to help by buying the T-shirt, but it turns out to be a big lie.”
Featured image via Instagram
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