Pete Townshend missing opening of his cancer charity in US
Pete Townshend was forced to miss the launch of his new cancer charity in LA last week due to a visa problem.
The rocker was expected to join The Who bandmate Roger Daltrey to announce the launch of the UCLA Daltrey/Townshend Teen & Young Adult Cancer Programme, but instead asked Robert Plant to take his place when he knew he would not be able to make the trip.
An expired visa kept him from attending in person and so he taped a video message instead, saying: "Let's hope in the USA it can catch fire the way it did here (in England), because it does save lives."
Daltrey and Townshend's Teenage Cancer Trust initiative in the UK has been a success and Daltrey invited a young student from Georgia high school on stage to reinforce the message of importance.
The teenager, a drummer, was diagnosed with a brain tumour when she was 15. She has been declared cancer-free for the last 18 months.
Daltrey told the gathered media, "Look at her now, 17 years old - a complete success story."
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