Evan Dando of The Lemonheads has been hospitalized for mental health issues following recent allegations he sent a fan unwanted sexual content, according to Variety.
The publication reported Friday (Feb. 13) that the grunge rocker was seeking treatment, with a representative saying in a statement, “Evan Dando has long struggled with mental health issues dating back to his childhood. He’s been admitted to a local hospital where he’s receiving comprehensive help from experienced doctors and mental health professionals.”
The news comes shortly after an anonymous fan claimed that the singer-songwriter had sent her unsolicited and inappropriate videos. As reported by journalist Tony Ortega on his Underground Bunker Substack, the fan — whose husband reached out to Ortega, and whom the reporter referred to as “Dawn” — claims to have simply congratulated Dando on releasing new album Love Chat this past October when, after a brief exchange, she received footage the musician had allegedly filmed of himself masturbating.
Billboard has reached out to Dando’s reps for comment on his hospitalization and accusations made against him.
Dando — who lives in Brazil with his second wife, Antonia Teixeira — has been open about his lifelong struggles with substance abuse, recounting many of his experiences with addiction in his 2025 memoir, Rumors of My Demise. Though he quit using heroin, speed and cocaine after spending time in rehab in late 2021, Dando told The New York Times last year that he was still taking “over-the-counter” substances.
“I don’t believe God meant us to be sober,” he told the publication, which noted he’d “clutched a pre-rolled joint in his left hand for the duration of the interview” at the time. “Why would monks make booze? I just know that heroin is really, really satanic for me.”
Shortly after publishing Rumors of My Demise, The Lemonheads’ Love Chat dropped, marking the band’s first album of original music in 19 years. “We’ve been around so long that it’s almost like a grudging respect — like the ugly building or the old hooker that just won’t go away, so people have to deal with it,” Dando said candidly in an interview with Billboard shortly after it was released. “I love that. It’s a very human quality, this dogged refusal to give up.”
If you or anyone you know is in need of support after experiencing sexual harassment, assault or abuse, reach out to RAINN — which is available 24/7 online, via phone at 800-656-HOPE or text 64673 — for live, confidential help and resources.
