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Teddi Mellencamp Shares Advice Father John Mellencamp Gave Her Amid Her Cancer Battle
“Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Teddi Mellencamp is opening up about her relationship with her father singer John Mellencamp.
During a Us Weekly interview, published on April 2, Mellencamp shared that her estranged husband, Edwin Arroyave, was the one who informed her father that she needed to undergo emergency surgery to remove two brain tumors in mid-February 2025. She said that John Mellencamp stayed in Los Angeles for “18 days” while she was recovering from surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. In addition, Mellencamp said the “Jack & Diane” singer has given her some advice amid her stage 4 cancer battle.
“The wild thing was my dad had a heart attack when he was 36 and had three years where he wasn’t in the business anymore. I remember his life completely changing. And some of the moments [when] I felt really scared, I was like, ‘Hold on. I’m not changing everything about my life. I want more things. I want to keep building,’” said Mellencamp during the Us Weekly interview. “But he’s like, ‘There are moments where you emotionally won’t be able to control how you’re feeling because of a certain medication or a certain whatever. And you have to give yourself some grace and know this isn’t you sometimes. And that’s OK.’”
She also shared that her father “calls every day to check on [her].”
“Some days, I’m not in the mood, I don’t want a pep talk. [I tell him], ‘I’ll talk to you tomorrow, I’ll be more pep talk-ready, but I love you,’” said Mellencamp to the publication.
Teddi Mellencamp Said Her Father ‘Was Really a Godsend’ Following Her Brain Surgery
In a March 2025 episode of her podcast, “Two Ts In A Pod,” co-hosted by “Real Housewives of Orange County” star Tamra Judge, Mellencamp shared that her father was a source of support while she was recovering from her surgery.
According to Mellencamp, her father “was really a Godsend.” She also said that her father helped her get into “a post-care center,” where she “got to be with a nurse in a hotel,” when she could no longer stand being at Cedars-Sinai.
Teddi Mellencamp Gave an Update About Her Health in Her Instagram Stories
Page Six reported that Mellencamp gave an update about her health in an April 3 Instagram Story. She shared that she was diagnosed with having four more brain tumors less than a week after she spoke to Us Weekly for the April 2 interview. Mellencamp, who also has two tumors in her lungs, said that while she sometimes feels “really, really strong,” she also sometimes feels “really really sad and alone.” Mellencamp has confirmed that her brain and lung tumors are metastasis of her melanoma.
“I think that’s a normal part of what any of us are going through. And that’s okay. Stage 4 cancer can be scary,” said Mellencamp on her Instagram Story.
