Does Morrissey have a secret ‘serious illness’?

Morrissey has been up to his old tricks this week – getting everyone in a tizz with more abrasive quotes about the meat industry during a Q+A on fan site True To You. Sample quote: “I see no difference between eating animals and paedophilia. They are both rape, violence, murder”.

The singer also revealed he is ‘mid-way’ through writing his first novel, following the success of his autobiography last year, and further dashed the hopes of Smiths fans desperate for a reunion by again stating he has ‘no interest’ in the band.

But while everyone is busy poring over his latest diversionary interview, I want to focus on another bit of Morrissey news that hit the web recently – one that has remained under the radar despite how serious it is.

One of the many blogs I follow and read on a daily basis is Crazy Days And Nights, which is a Hollywood gossip site run by an anonymous entertainment lawyer. It’s slightly trashy, but it satisfies my quick need for salacious gossip nicely! The most interesting feature of CDAN is the ‘blind items’, which involve the lawyer revealing who his previous gossip stories were about. The accuracy of the blind items are of course up for debate, but as a lawyer it’s probably safe to assume he wouldn’t be publishing anything that could be seen as libellous.

Recently CDAN published a blind item reveal about Morrissey, which said:

This B list celebrity is not being honest with the public about his very serious illness because he does not want to explain how he contracted it, or answer any questions about it. He has his story and is sticking to it.

Morrissey

Now, I’ve been ruminating on the possibility of Moz having HIV or AIDS for a while now – due to his frequent hospital visits for pneumonia and other related or unidentified illnesses. I’ve never published anything about it though because, unlike his music and writing, Morrissey’s health, well-being and lifestyle choices are his own business.

The CDAN reveal is interesting though because the comments on the site, and in various forums, suggest that there are lots of fans out there with the same opinion: Morrissey is very ill and is choosing not to make it public as that would mean admitting he is/has been a practicing homosexual.

When viewed in this light, his song ‘You Have Killed Me’ appears to shine a light on his potential illness and how he contracted it. In the song Morrissey compares himself to Italian film director, poet and notable intellectual Pier Paolo Pasolini – who was allegedly murdered by a rent boy. With that in mind, these lyrics seem significant:

I entered nothing and nothing entered me / Till you came with the key / And you did your best but / As I live and breathe / You have killed me / You have killed me / Yes I walk around somehow / But you have killed me / You have killed me

That could equally be Morrissey the artist playing on the rumours and speculation though, so definitely shouldn’t be seen as definitive.

As I said before, his health (and indeed his sexuality) is all his own business – but as a popular artist with a best-selling ‘tell-all’ autobiography to his name, is he risking the goodwill of his dedicated fans by keeping secrets as serious and life-defining as this to himself? Or does such a personal and serious issue transcend such intangible concepts as ‘career’ and ‘fanbase’?

There’s very little doubt in my mind that Morrissey does have a serious illness – it could be HIV/AIDS, it could be something else – and I wouldn’t even dare to assume I knew how it felt. All I can do is think like the huge Morrissey fan that I am, which leads me to want to know everything about him – his past, his opinions, his motivations, his outlook and yes, his health. I also respect him as a man and an artist, so if he chooses not to share certain aspects of his life then I won’t judge him.

What do you think? Could Morrissey be very ill or is it more likely to just be an empty rumour? If he is seriously ill, do you care? Does it affect your relationship with him and his music? Join the discussion in the comments below…