Mellencamp smokeout: Rocker's son enlists Facebook

John Mellencamp’s 14-year-old son wants you to help his dad quit smoking.

Speck, the Seymour rocker’s youngest son, has started a Facebook campaign to collect 1 million followers to convince his father to snuff out his last cigarette.

The 58-year-old Mellencamp, a Seymour High School graduate, has often said since his 1994 heart attack he’s failed in his many efforts to kick his decades-old habit.

Speck says his dad promises to take his last drag if 1 million people join the Facebook group. It had more than 9,000 registered members as of Tuesday afternoon. It launched Friday.

Tim Elsner, Mellencamp’s business manager, said Tuesday the Facebook challenge is legit.

The Facebook group is called: “1,000,000 to join, my dad john mellencamp will quit smoking.”

“At first I said 100,000 people but (he) wouldn’t agree, so I said a million because I like round numbers,” Speck told Eric DiBlasi Jr. of Seymour radio station WJAA via Facebook.  “Everyone in the family is happy about this but my dad.  I think if we get really close he will try anyway.”

Speck said he has only a verbal agreement with his dad but added he thinks his dad will feel more accountable with 1 million people pushing for him to quit.

Speck started the forum after trying to get his dad to quit for years and seeing similar groups for other causes on Facebook.