NEED TO KNOW
Peter Frampton continues to make music and tour despite living with inclusion body myositis, a progressive muscle disease
His new documentary Frampton explores his life, career, struggles with addiction, and his journey with the illness
“I’m definitely a survivor,” he tells PEOPLE
Peter Frampton is determined to play on, no matter the circumstances.
Though the rocker was diagnosed around 2015 with inclusion body myositis (IBM), an autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness and damage, he tells PEOPLE that he’s just as inspired as ever when it comes to making music.
“I can’t complain about my life at all. Yes, it’s not the most pleasant thing to have. It changes your life. It’s not going to end it, but yeah, it’s a little difficult,” he says. “But really I’ve gotten used to it, and I like the challenge of being able to do what I do as it progresses.”
Frampton, 76, shared his diagnosis publicly in 2019. In the new documentary Frampton, which premieres at Tribeca Festival on June 4, he reveals that the illness is greatly affecting his hands, making it difficult to play guitar.
Peter Frampton performing.
Credit: Neal Preston/Courtesy of 10 Lives Studios
Even so, the “Show Me the Way” singer has put on a brave face, and in recent months, he’s continued to tour, despite first launching a farewell tour some seven years ago, and release new music. In May, he put out the record Carry the Light, his first album of all-new material in 16 years.
“I’ve always been very positive. My parents were like that, especially my mother,” he says. “My feeling about my IBM muscle disease is that I have been dealt some wonderful cards in my life, and life is life and you get some trials and tribulations along the way.”
There is no effective treatment for IBM, but many patients benefit from rehab therapy, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, where Frampton has established the Peter Frampton Myositis Research Fund to help patients like himself.
The ups and downs of Frampton’s life are seen through a new lens in Frampton, which is directed by the star’s longtime bandleader Rob Arthur. His three children are featured in interviews, as are longtime friends like Bill Wyman and Cameron Crowe, and covered ground includes his days as a teen idol, his struggles with addiction and the waning and eventual revitalization of his career.
He admits that “everything’s in there,” and says he’s “excited” for fans to finally “see the whole picture” of his legendary life.
“I’m definitely a survivor… and I’ve got more to come,” he says. “That’s the beauty of it. We’re halfway through the album to follow this up. So I haven’t stopped.”
Read the original article on People