EXCLUSIVE: Tortured Rocker John Mellencamp 'Desperate' to Make Up With Once-Estranged Daughter Teddi As She Battles Brain Cancer — 'It's Make or Break For Him'
John Mellencamp is said to be desperate to mend ties with his daughter Teddi as she fights cancer.
March 10 2025, Published 7:30 a.m. ET
Rocker John Mellencamp is desperate to make up for lost time with his once estranged daughter, Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave now that she's been diagnosed with deadly brain cancer, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi, 43, who previously fought a long battle with melanoma skin cancer, was suffering debilitating headaches for weeks before a checkup revealed the dire news.
"After a CT scan and MRI, doctors found multiple tumors on my brain, which they believe have been growing for at least 6 months," she wrote in a February 12 Instagram post.
Mellencamp's brain cancer battle has left father John devastated, pals say.
Her revelation was apparently a real gut-punch to her 73-year-old dad, sources tell us.
"John has been rocked even harder than Teddi by this diagnosis," our insider said. "They butted heads a lot and didn't speak for four years at one point. "He's kicking himself for all the time they missed out on!"
Teddi immediately underwent emergency surgery to remove two large tumors from her brain and now faces radiation treatments to eradicate smaller growths – though recently gave a bleak update to fans saying doctors had discovered five more tumours in her body.
Mellencamp now faces a grim cancer fight after new tumors were found in her body – including in her lungs.
"There is just a very bad prognosis," leading oncologist Dr. Jerome Spunberg, who has not treated Teddi, said. "There is little doubt that her melanoma spread to her brain."
The medic grimly added: "That melanoma plants seeds in the brain, and she faces the strong possibility that more tumors will come up even as doctors battle the existing ones. You hope for the best for Teddi, but she's likely facing a long period of very serious and painful medical ordeals.
"And, sadly, the cure rate is very low."
The grave prognosis has devastated her dad, who had divorced Teddi's mother, Victoria Granucci, when the child was just 8 years old.
Teddi mostly stayed with her mom, and on the rare occasions she spent time with the Hurts So Good hitmaker, Teddi said their conversations tended to devolve into shouting matches.
Mellencamp is said to be putting everything aside to support Teddi amid her cancer fight.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
"I mean, there was one point – we joke about this conversation because it's probably so traumatizing – but 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."
The two healed their fractured relationship in recent years, and now Mellencamp is said to be doing whatever he can to make up for the lost time.
Our source said; "John is willing to put his career commitments on hold to spend as much time with Teddi as he can.
"The hardest part for him is not knowing how much time he has left with her and how he feels so powerless to help her."
