Dale Bozzio wishes she had never gotten breast implants.
That’s the advice the frontwoman of the influential ’80s band Missing Persons would now give her younger self.
In a conversation with Yahoo’s Suzy Byrne, the “Destination Unknown” singer and songwriter, 70, opens up about her regret and her diagnosis of severe capsular contracture, a painful condition caused by excessive scar tissue forming around the implants. Over time, Bozzio’s implants have become hard, misshapen and increasingly painful, leaving her in constant discomfort.
She’s awaiting surgery to remove the implants, a procedure made possible by a GoFundMe created by one of her sons, Troy McKenzie. The operation isn’t covered by insurance, and Bozzio has been unable to perform, record or earn a living. Once the implants are out, she’ll have breast reconstruction surgery and a long recovery.
There have been complications along the way. For starters, the surgery has been delayed by a weeks-long bout with the flu. When Bozzio finally undergoes the procedure — hopefully in early 2026 — her doctor will also determine if she has breast cancer. That’s another reason driving the surgery, and a question that cannot be answered until the implants are removed.
Here, Bozzio, who was discovered by music legend Frank Zappa and later signed by Prince to his label, details in her own words the ordeal that has sidelined her, the financial strain she’s under and her fears for what lies ahead. The Life Is So Strange author also reflects on surrendering to a higher power — accepting that the outcome is beyond her control — and how overcoming past obstacles has given her the strength to navigate this trial.
I ignored the symptoms. I kept thinking, “I got a concert to play” or “I got a record to make.” I thought it would get better. I waited too long. I kept putting it off. I shouldn’t have.
Now, they have to cut really deep and wide and take off the whole boob. It’s all going to go.
The scar tissue around the implant has gone in different directions. It’s hardened, and all kinds of things have grown and developed in there.
Bozzio performing in 1983. (Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
I didn’t want to say it on the GoFundMe, but they’re also looking for cancer. My doctor said, “I can’t see behind the implants. Until I take them out, I won’t know if you have cancer. If you do, we’ll go back in and take it all out.” He said he would save my life.
My insurance will not cover a thing. “You elected this,” they tell you. “This was your choice to get breast implants.”
Right now, I can’t even walk across the street to the post office. It’s as if I were 100 today, not 70. My system is breaking down.
The cancer aspect disturbs me the most — not just for myself, potentially, but for all women. I wish political leaders would prioritize women’s health, spend money on cancer research, ensure free access to treatment and find cures. Women make the world go round — if you haven’t noticed yet.
Getting implants in the first place was a really bad mistake on my part. I originally got them in 1988, then I changed them out in 1996, so it’s been a while now. I didn’t think much of them, or want to show them off. I’m a grown-up now. I’m trying to keep my clothes on.
When I was a girl, I thought I was the underdog. I grew my bangs very long because I thought that my eyes weren’t pretty enough for the rest of the world. I was always hiding behind my hair or beneath a hat. I thought, I’ll never be beautiful.
Bozzio with ex-husband and Missing Persons bandmate Terry Bozzio during an interview on MTV in 1983. (Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)
That’s why I did the boob thing. I thought, “I’ll get big boobs, and then I’ll be really attractive.” I was a Playboy Bunny in the 1970s. There were definitely a lot of boobs around me. Now, I’ve given myself possibly an illness for the rest of my life that does not surpass the whistles or the compliments.
No amount of money can buy your health back and give you the energy to go on a hike with your children. This takes away your life. We shouldn’t put foreign objects in our bodies. Maybe it’s not good for me to say. Maybe you don’t believe me. But I’m definitely an example to learn from. I would advise against it. I sincerely regret it.
My son Troy put together the GoFundMe because he saw me crying and in pain and sitting on the couch with my head in my hands, being worried and scared. I’m flat broke. I live month to month. I have nothing. I don’t own my own house. I live in an apartment.
To be in this business, you have to play live to make money. All my royalties and the money that I thought I would make, I didn’t. I’ve been divorced for many years. I don’t have a mate. I left men in the dust a long time ago, and I’ll also be 17 years sober on Jan. 1. I wanted to be a righteously independent woman. It just didn’t work out the way I thought it would.
I have confidence that I will get through this, though. When I was 21, I had a terrible accident. I was pushed 40 feet out a window of a Holiday Inn in downtown Los Angeles by a stranger dressed as a security guard. I was on life support. I had 52 stitches in my head, a broken rib and a broken kneecap, and I couldn’t walk. When I woke up, I remember the doctor then telling me, “You’re a miracle. You’d better thank God every day for the rest of your life.”
The singer performing at the iHeart80s Party in 2016. (John Salangsang/Invision/AP)
I couldn’t even see at first, but I just started writing. I wrote my song “Destination Unknown” — because I didn’t know where I’d go from here. Then I became a big rock star. I was a little tiny girl, and all of a sudden, I was giant. I was on the radio, selling records, playing concerts, and people were clapping. I had geniuses to play music with. Because of Frank Zappa, I became “Dale.” I was at the top of my game, and I didn’t even know it. Just like that, everything changes.
My life is really tiny now. It revolves around my two sons. I would not be here without my faith in God. He’s let me live a long time and do a lot of really great things. He’s given me two fine young men as my sons to always be my friends. Now, he’s given me this lesson. I’m not looking at it as a punishment. God just wants me to sit still and to share what I learned with everyone else.
I know I have all the people who love me on my side, so if they could just pray for me, that will make everything work out. Your prayers and contributions have helped me. And I’ll be mustering up all the courage I can — that’s all I can do now — so I can jump through these hoops of fire once again. I just have to do it.
This has been edited for length and clarity.
You can view the original article HERE.
