Alice Cooper Wrote a Special Song to Sing for ’70s Musician’s Son With Cancer

Alice Cooper wrote a new, original number for Zak Nilsson, son of influential '70s musician and songwriter Harry Nilsson. That's because Zak has end-stage colon cancer, so on a recent episode of the Coffee Talk With Adika Live show, Cooper dropped in to sing the song to him.

Coffee Talk is a YouTube Live talk-show series hosted by bassist Stefan Adika and music journalist Corey Levitan, as Rolling Stone pointed out. The two hosts are friends with Zak, and on Jan. 1, they invited him on their show to discuss his cancer journey, chemotherapy, end-of-life care and more.

But Adika and Levitan surprised Zak with the special appearance from Cooper to wrap up their in-depth, two-hour conversation. Backed only by piano (with some a cappella moments to boot), Cooper appears virtually to serenade Zak with the tune he wrote just for him.

Watch the video of Alice Cooper's surprise appearance below.

"I understand you're under the weather," the "School's Out" singer and legendary shock-rocker — dressed in all black and sporting a top hat — says to Zak. "I decided to write a song just for you."

From there, Cooper delivers an earnest run-through of the one-off song he composed for the ailing rock progeny. Singing in front of a green screen, Cooper looks every bit the veteran rock star as he delivers a set of warm-hearted lyrics specifically about Zak's battle with cancer.

"Zak, they got you on your back," Cooper sings. "And lying in the sack / But every day, you see the sun."

"And Zak, there's nothing that you lack / When everything looks black / Remember you're a son of a gun."

Talk about a unique and thrilling way to raise someone's spirits. If there's anyone who can make someone unwell (and even facing death) feel a little bit better, it's gotta be Alice Cooper.