Bassist Bill Wyman, who played with the Rolling Stones from 1962 to 1993, revealed that he is battling prostate cancer.
The 79-year-old musician's reps confirmed the tragic news this morning, but also informed fans that there is a silver lining as he's expected to recover.
"Bill Wyman, former member of the Rolling Stones, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer," his rep said in a statement. "He is undergoing treatment and is expected to make a full recovery as it was caught in the early stages. The Wyman family has asked for their privacy during this time. No further comment will be made at this point." Wyman's official Twitter account also tweeted out a part of the statement.
Bill has been diagnosed with cancer.
He is undergoing treatment and is expected to make a full recovery as it was caught at an early stages.— Bill Wyman (@bill_wyman) March 8, 2016
Since Wyman left the band in the early '90s, he has gone on tour with his own band, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings. He also runs his own record company in London's Chelsea district. Just this past Saturday, he attended Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall's wedding with his wife, former model Suzanne Accosta, who is one of Hall's best friends. Hall and Wyman's former bandmate Mick Jagger were together for many years and had four children together.
Back in 2004, Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts was also diagnosed with cancer. He underwent treatment for the cancer and even had two operations to fully get rid of the lump a surgeon found in his throat.
"It was benign, but he said we should take it out," Watts said in 2011. "On the slide, it had tiny cancer cells on it. He said, 'You have cancer of the whatever.' And that night I thought I was going to die. I thought that's what you did. You get cancer and waste away and die. I had another operation to take the lymph nodes out and radio therapy, which was six weeks long. Now it's five years clear."
The legendary rock band led by Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards recently announced that they will be wrapping up their America Latina Ole tour with a free historic concert event in Havana, Cuba, March 25. The performance will feature a set list of the Stones classic hits from the past five decades.
"We have performed in many special places during our long career," the Rolling Stones said. "But this show in Havana is going to be a landmark event for us and, we hope, for all our friends in Cuba too."
