EXCLUSIVE: John Mellencamp Vows to Take Care of Cancer-Stricken Daughter Teddi After He 'Flopped Badly as a Dad'

John Mellencamp vows to support cancer-stricken daughter Teddi after admitting he failed as a father.
May 2 2025, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
John Mellencamp believes he flopped badly as a dad to cancer-stricken reality queen daughter Teddi, and now RadarOnline.com can reveal the Hurts So Good singer is sadly vowing to take care of her in death by overseeing her funeral.
"It may seem morbid, but he's hoping that by getting those dark details taken care of in case Teddi doesn't survive, it gives her a little piece of mind," said a source.
The 43-year-old former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star and mom of three waged a brutal two-year battle with skin cancer – and now doctors give her a grim 50-50 shot at surviving.

Victoria Granucci's past with John Mellencamp still haunts his bond with Teddi.
The reality star was declared cancer-free last year after undergoing 16 surgeries, but the happy news was short-lived.
In February, doctors found four golf ball-sized tumors on her brain, forcing emergency surgery, and just three weeks later came the devastating discovery of five more tumors in her brain and lungs.
Oncologist Dr. Jerome Spunberg, who has not treated Teddi, stated that her chances are grim and that the stunning blonde may have less than a year to live.
"More times than not, more tumors pop up even as doctors treat the existing ones," noted Spunberg. "The cure rate is unfortunately very low."
Meanwhile, the death's-door daughter recently revealed that her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame father, 73, reached out to confirm whether she wants to be interred in the family's mausoleum in John's native Indiana.

An oncologist warned Teddi Mellencamp's survival odds remain heartbreakingly low.
Teddi says her first thoughts were about eventually being joined by her children with estranged husband Edwin Arroyave – daughters Slate, 12, and Dove, 5, and son Cruz, 10.
"[I said] 'Where would my kids go?" Teddi revealed.
"He's like, 'Well, there's gonna be the top five, and then we're gonna have little areas around it, and then that's where everyone's gonna get buried."
A friend reveals that the Lonely Ol' Night singer “is just devastated" by his daughter's deadly diagnosis, especially because of their past stormy relationship.

Her kids are Teddi's first concern as she plans for what may come.

John divorced Teddi's mother, Victoria Granucci, when she was just 8, and she rarely spent time with her absentee dad. When she did, it often ended in shouting matches.
"I got mad at him for something," she recalled. "And he said, 'You know what? F you, Teddi. I have other kids,' and we didn't talk for a couple of years."
Added the friend: "Teddi appreciates his gesture – she can see that John is trying to be of some comfort to her, although a lot of people find it grim."