The flames are out. The ache isn’t.
On Tuesday December 9th in Altadena, MusiCares hosted a free Health & Wellness Clinic for music professionals hit by the 2025 LA wildfires — and what could’ve been a basic checkup day turned into something much deeper.
Local musicians, engineers, producers, and other music workers came through for mental health support, physical therapy, vision care, hearing help with custom ear molds, massage therapy, and on-site guidance about disaster relief. But more than anything, it became a room where people finally said out loud what they’ve been carrying since the firestorm.
One attendee shared after seeing a mental health provider:
“I didn’t realize how badly I needed to speak to someone today… Just being heard… it took a weight off my chest.”
Another, who lost both home and livelihood, put it bluntly:
“Even the jeans I’m wearing today were donated. I lost everything… What’s kept me grounded is the support from my community, and MusiCares especially. They covered my relocation, my house note, and helped replace the instruments I lost.”
If you’ve been with us, this story already has a face.
Back in January of 2025, we shared how Stephanie Spruill — renowned backup vocalist to Michael Jackson, celebrated for her powerhouse performances — lost her home in the Altadena firestorm, including the home studio where she worked as a vocal coach. A lifetime of music history, memories, and a working creative space gone in one night.
👉 Revisit that story: Renowned backup vocalist to Michael Jackson loses home in Altadena firestorm!
As a South Pasadena native, I’m very familiar with Altadena, watching that foothill community burn was — and still is — unreal. The destruction is still unbelievable. We ache for everyone still rebuilding, families juggling relocation costs and mortgages, kids carrying quiet trauma, and artists who lost home studios and the gear that paid the bills.
So… What Is MusiCares?
For anyone new to the name: MusiCares is the charitable affiliate of the Recording Academy — yes, the GRAMMY people — but their work lives far away from red carpets.
They exist to be a safety net for music people, especially the ones you don’t always see:
- Working musicians
- Engineers and producers
- Songwriters
- Tour and studio crew
- The families orbiting all of the above
They quietly step in with:
- Emergency financial help when life blows up (fires, medical crises, sudden loss of income)
- Mental health and wellness support
- Healthcare and basic living assistance
- Addiction recovery and sober-support resources
- Disaster relief, including relocation, housing help, and replacing lost instruments and gear
In moments like the Altadena firestorm, MusiCares is in the background helping keep the lights on, the rent paid, and instruments in people’s hands so the music doesn’t stop just because everything else did.
Recovery That Outlasts the Headlines
Since the fires, MusiCares has been showing up for LA’s music community with:
- Emergency financial assistance and basic living needs
- Relocation and housing support
- Mortgage/lease help
- Instrument and gear replacement
- Long-term, case-managed care
Yesterday’s clinic in Altadena was a quiet reminder: the cameras may have moved on, but the healing hasn’t. For many in Altadena, South Pasadena, and across LA, recovery is still day-by-day, bill-by-bill, breath-by-breath.
For more on MusiCares please visit: We’re here to help the humans behind the music | MusiCares.org
Drop your thoughts below — whether you were there, know someone rebuilding, or just want to share how the music community’s resilience hits you.
