By Rorisang Modiba
• Lisa Koppel kept her colorectal cancer battle private because she wanted to protect her three young children and avoid public attention and sympathy.
• Lisa hoped her experience could raise awareness about colorectal cancer and early detection, a mission her family now plans to continue.
South African musician Daniel “Danny K” Koppel has lost his wife, Lisa Koppel, after an almost three year battle with colorectal cancer.
Lisa was just 41.
She was diagnosed in November 2023 and received treatment in South Africa and abroad as the family searched for ways to fight the disease.
But very few people knew what she was going through.
Lisa deliberately kept her cancer battle away from the public.
Her family said she did not want pity, attention or sympathy.
Most importantly, she wanted to protect her three young children and allow them to enjoy their childhood without having their mother’s illness hanging over them.
Her death was confirmed by Danny K’s mother, Pam Koppel, on Monday morning.
Danny K later shared the news publicly on Instagram and spoke about his wife’s illness for the first time.
“For the first time, I want to share the deeply private and courageous battle my beloved wife, Lisa Koppel, fought over the past three years,” he wrote.
Danny K said they searched for “every treatment and opportunity available”.
But in the end, “despite everything, we could not save her.”
Danny K and Lisa married in Somerset West in the Western Cape in 2012.
They went on to have three children.
Danny K said protecting those children remained Lisa’s biggest priority during her illness.
“Above all, she wanted to protect our children and preserve their happiness and innocence for as long as possible,” he wrote.
The couple also used their public profile to support good causes.
Although Lisa did not run or head a non-profit organisation, she and Danny K directed media proceeds from their high profile 2012 wedding towards charitable causes.
Lisa also had her own successful career away from her husband’s music.
She was a lawyer, former model and the daughter of prominent divorce lawyer Billy Gundelfinger.
She obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of South Africa and was admitted as an advocate of the High Court in 2010.
At the time of her death, she was working as an associate at Billy Gundelfinger Attorneys.
Tributes poured in after news of her death became public.
Friends and members of the public remembered Lisa for her kindness, warmth and character.
One person wrote: “Lisa was a very special woman. I loved being around her. My heart is broken for you and your three children.”
Another described her as “the most exquisite human inside and out”.
But Lisa’s family hopes her death can also help other people.
She wanted to raise awareness about colorectal cancer and the importance of finding the disease early.
Colorectal cancer is cancer that starts in the colon or rectum.
The colon and rectum form part of the large intestine in the body’s digestive system.
The disease can begin as small growths called polyps. Some polyps can eventually develop into cancer.
Lisa was only 38 when she was diagnosed, highlighting how the disease can also affect younger adults.
The Koppel and Gundelfinger families said Lisa had hoped to use her own experience to encourage greater awareness.
“Lisa hoped that one day she would use her experience to raise awareness of this disease and help others through early detection. She never got that opportunity. Her family will now carry that purpose forward in her name,” the family said.
But they do not want cancer to define how Lisa is remembered.
“Lisa’s illness will never define her. She will be remembered for the way she lived and loved: with kindness, humility, courage and an unwavering devotion to the people who meant everything to her.”
The family said Lisa’s death had left them “shattered”.
They have asked for prayers, compassion and privacy as Danny K, their children and the Koppel and Gundelfinger families mourn her death.
Pictured above: Danny K’s wife Lisa Koppel has died at 41 after keeping her nearly three year battle with colorectal cancer private.
Image source: Supplied.
