A benefit concert and photo exhibit in Hollywood for Warren Zevon, a Grammy Award winning musician who died in 2003 of asbestos cancer caused death was sponsored recently by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO).

Warren Zevon was a singer-songwriter who died at the young age of 53, not from drug or alcohol related issues, but from another more deadly cause, asbestos cancer caused death.

Zevon had a cult-like following with songs like “Werewolves of London,” “Excitable Boy,” “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner” and “Lawyers, Guns and Money.” Throughout his career he recorded songs with Bruce Springsteen, Joe Walsh, Jackson Brown and Tom Petty.

In 2002 he was diagnosed with mesothelioma.

After his death in 2003, his son, Jordan Zevon, has become a spokesperson for the ADAO. The senior Zevon never disclosed where his asbestos exposure came from, but Jordan suspects it was from his father’s childhood when he played in the attic of his father’s carpet store in Arizona.

Jordan believes his father died from asbestos cancer caused death.

Jordan was quoted as saying, “This once-in-a-lifetime event will bring together friends, musicians, collaborators, colleagues and fans to not only celebrate my father’s legacy, but also contribute to fight to end the asbestos crisis in America.”

Asbestos Cancer Caused Death

During the Industrial Revolution, asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral, came into widespread use and in a multitude of applications. It is heat resistant and fireproof, so it was used to a great extent by the military as a fireproof insulator and in other high-temperature applications.

It was also used widely in commercial insulation and for a variety of other uses in construction.

However, even up to 100 years ago, research began to show that there was a connection between exposure to asbestos and certain lung diseases.

Asbestos is tied to lung diseases, like asbestos lung cancer and asbestosis, a disease similar to emphysema or COPD. Asbestos cancer caused death is a real concern for anyone who has been exposed to asbestos over his or her lifetime.

By the 1980s, asbestos was gradually phased out and banned in the United States. But asbestos cancer often takes years to present. Those who were exposed as children or young people, allegedly like Zevon, can develop asbestos related diseases later in life.

Jordan Zevon spoke to LA Weekly and claims that asbestos use is still legal. He says that it is still present in things like duct tape and is not banned like people say it is.

He also spoke to MyNews LA and said, “With as many as 15,000 Americans dying from asbestos diseases each year, I am not alone and my story is truly no different than any other family affected by the tragedy of asbestos. ADAO gives victims like me and countless others a united voice and unmatched strength to work toward a future without asbestos.”

The proceeds from the benefit concert were donated to ADAO.