Punk legend HR, the singer of the great rasta-hardcore band Bad Brains, is to undergo brain surgery later this month after a successful crowdfunding appeal to raise money for medical treatment.

HR, whose given name is Paul Hudson, has for some years been having severe headaches caused by trigeminal neuralgia, a rare a neurobiological disorder.

His wife, Lori, set up a GoFundMe page last March to raise money for treatment. “The headaches have gotten progressively worse. In November, he began living with almost constant pain,” she wrote. “The headaches come randomly, with no warning, at all hours of the day and night. But they are much worse at night. The intensity of the nighttime headaches is so great that he yells, cries out, groans, and sobs – repeatedly, every few minutes, for most of the night. He can’t work. He has no quality of life.”

After raising more than $16,000 (£12,800), the couple were able to schedule surgery. “[My wife] took me to the hospital so I would learn about what was going on in my head, because I was experiencing bad headaches at the time,” HR told Loudwire. “And the doctor came to me and he said we’re going to have a surgery.”