‘It brought life to me’: Central Texas musician with terminal cancer says music is healing him
WACO, Texas (KWTX) - A Central Texas musician with terminal cancer says music is healing him in otherwise inexplainable ways.
Tony Kross, 55, of Clifton, was diagnosed in 2021 with multiple myeloma, a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell that is incurable.
He was given two years to live upon diagnosis and says he turned to the best medicine he could think of: music.
“I was diagnosed with multi myeloma cancer about two years ago,” Kross said, “I was on my death bed about a year ago and I crawled out of my death bed, and I started singing and it brought life to me.”
“It started healing me.”
Kross hadn’t sang in more than five years when he turned to singing following his grim diagnosis.
“I was supposed to start chemo six months ago, but I went back after the first three months and the doctor said, after I started singing, the doctor said, ‘hey, I don’t know what you’re doing but keep doing it because your cancer is not increasing,” Kross said. “It’s just staying still.”
Kross says his therapy was music.
The singer, who describes his music as “hip hop country western style music with a little pop appeal on top,” grew up in Waco and moved to California when he was 15.
He pursued a career in music in California and says he landed a recording contract with RCA and Black Diamond Records, but says the industry wasn’t for him.
“I sang a lot in bars and clubs. I had a recording contract, and it wasn’t what it was made out to be,” Kross said. “I quit the music industry. I did it because it wasn’t me.”
Kross eventually moved back to the Waco area a little over 20 years ago and pursued jobs outside of music.
When Kross was diagnosed with cancer, he did several months of chemo, but eventually stopped as the medication took a toll on his body.
That’s when he turned to music.
“I stopped taking all medication. I took no medication at all, and I started singing and the singing it healed me,” Kross said. “It’s healing me, and I think it’s the melody, the harmony, the vibration. I don’t know what it is but it’s healing me, but I feel free, and I feel confident to go out and share what God gave me to everybody.”
Kross now sings and entertains audiences with performances which often include karaoke music.
He says he can fill the enjoyment of the crowd which inspires him.
Kross says he hopes his story will inspire others going through hard times to do what makes their heart sing.
“I have a whole new life. I feel like I don’t even have cancer,” Kross said. “I feel vibrant and energetic and I think it’s because I started doing what I was born to do - sing,” he said.
Kross had a doctor’s appointment this past week in which it was recommended that he start back on chemotherapy.
He plans to do that in the upcoming weeks but says no matter the outcome, he believes music has already given him the gift of time and served as the best medicine of all.
“Music may not heal everyone from cancer, but it heels me,” Kross said. “Finding out what your soul needs and giving that, feeding your soul that. I think that’s my healing process.”
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