Dean Franklin (Image: Kieran Cleeves)
A beloved singer songwriter and street performer has played his final gig after being told he has late-stage cancer – leaving hundreds of fans in tears.
Dean Franklin, 36, former contestant on The Voice and mentored by singer and television personality Paloma Faith, performed for the last time in London’s Piccadilly Circus last Sunday after being diagnosed with advanced oesophageal cancer that has spread to his liver.
The singer, from Finsbury Park, north London, has spent nearly a decade performing across the capital, making music his livelihood – but now faces months of brutal chemotherapy just to ease his symptoms.
Dean Franklin with his mum after the show (Image: Dean Franklin)
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Dean, father of one, was diagnosed on 9 December last year, after months of being treated for acid reflux – a condition that affected his voice but masked the real danger.
“I kept going back to the doctor,” he said. “The medication didn’t work. Then pain started under my ribs – in my liver. That’s when everything changed.”
He was rushed to Homerton Hospital, fast-tracked through emergency tests, and given devastating news: multiple tumours on his liver, with pain spreading into his back.
Now under the care of a leading cancer specialist at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, Dean has been told chemotherapy could give him around a year to live, with possible clinical trials depending on further testing.
He is currently on morphine for pain, suffering from jaundice, and preparing for his next round of chemotherapy at the end of next week.
Dean surrounded by his family in hospital (Image: Dean Franklin)
Deciding he must now focus on treatment, Dean made the heartbreaking decision to step away from performing for good.
More than 300 people packed Piccadilly Circus to watch him sing for the last time – some flying in from Spain, Switzerland and across Europe, including couples whose weddings he had sung at overseas.
As Dean closed with Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, the crowd sobbed, filmed and sang along. Strangers hugged him as he stood under the lights, visibly weak but smiling. One fan said through tears: “Look at what one human being can do.”
“It was overwhelming,” Dean said. “These people have been part of my life.”
Dean Franklin Piccadilly Circus 11.01.26 (Image: Kieran Cleeves)
Dean Franklin’s mother and brother watching while he sings (Image: Kieran Cleeves)
The crowd watching Dean at Piccadilly Circus (Image: Kieran Cleeves)
The emotional performance was also a fundraiser – not for treatment, but to secure the future of his family, including his 17-year-old daughter, Mya Hyndman, and her mother.
So far, £25,000 has been raised, helping ensure they are supported when he can no longer work.
“Busking has been my income. Music has been my life,” Dean said. “This was about trying to make sure my family will be okay.”
Dean Franklin with his daughter 11.01.26 (Image: Kieran Cleeves)
Dean with his daughter Mya Hyndman (Image: Dean Franklin)
Even now, Dean is still fighting – not just cancer, but for the future of street music in London.
He has spoken out against Westminster Council, which has been cracking down on buskers in central London due to noise complaints.
“So many iconic pitches have gone,” he said.
Last year, the council took him to court for performing in an unlicensed area – a case they lost, though Dean was still ordered to pay £250 in costs, which fans quickly covered.
“When you look at everything that happens on London streets,” he said, “targeting buskers is mind-boggling.”
