Teddi Mellencamp is thankful for her dad, John Mellencamp, amid her battle with stage IV cancer.
Teddi, 44, presented John, 74, with the Icon Award at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday, March 26. Ahead of the ceremony, the cohost of iHeartRadio’s “Two T’s in a Pod” podcast exclusively told Us Weekly what it meant to honor her dad amid his support for her.
“I mean, the Icon Award, I’m just so excited for my dad,” Teddi said. “I mean, I know for him, he’s probably not even gonna be on this red carpet, but when he called me and asked me if I would present, it was an honor to me, because he’s been such an incredible dad. He’s been there for me so much these last few months. I’m happy to do this for him.”
Teddi also told Us what she’s learned from John — who is launching his Dancing Words Tour — The Greatest Hits this summer — in the past year.
“Anything he’s going to do, he’s going to work hard for,” the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum continued. “Whether that’s taking care of his daughter, writing a new song, I mean, the fact that he’s going on tour and finally playing all of his hits? This is the first time he’s ever done that. So I’m really excited for this upcoming tour.”
John has been by Teddi’s side throughout her cancer journey, which began with a stage II melanoma diagnosis in 2022. After multiple surgeries to remove the skin cancer, Teddi was diagnosed with multiple brain tumors in February 2025. The reality star exclusively told Us in April 2025 that her cancer had progressed to stage IV, having spread to her brain and lungs.
While presenting John with the Icon Award at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Thursday, Teddi became emotional as she recalled her father stepping up for her amid her health journey.
“His plethora of songs [hold] a place in the hearts of millions,” she said. “But for me, ‘Longest Days’ has been the song that means the most. He sings, ‘But nothing lasts forever / Your best efforts don’t always pay sometimes / When you get sick and you don’t get better / That’s when life is short, even at its longest days.’”
Teddi continued, “Because it was a little over a year ago when I got sick, my life felt short, even when the days in the hospital seemed to go on forever. Sometimes you get sick and you don’t get better. He wasn’t going to let that lyric define my life. He stepped up, took control, fought for me and pretty much changed my life, saved my life.”
Teddi Mellencamp will always appreciate her dad, John Mellencamp, despite their well-documented ups and downs. John welcomed daughters Teddi and Justice with ex-wife Victoria Granucci in 1981 and 1985, respectively. The singer also shares daughter Michelle with ex Priscilla Esterline, and sons Hud and Speck with ex-wife Elaine Irwin. In May 2024, Teddi shared that […]
Months before the awards show, Teddi shared in July 2025 that she learned to lean on John during her cancer battle.
“He has been beyond,” she said during an appearance on “The Jamie Kern Lima Show” podcast. “The things that I wouldn’t be capable of doing without my dad — not only for financial reasons. With all of these medical treatments and everything, he has stepped in. He’s helped me have a nurse. He calls me every single day. He makes sure that I’m OK. … He’s giving me advice that, like, I need to hear sometimes. Even the fact that he calls me every single night and it’s not relenting. I may not call him back a couple nights, but he’ll still call every night at the same time.”
