Bruce Dickinson, the frontman of legendary British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, has been given the "all-clear" and is cancer-free following his recent battle with tongue cancer, the band announced Friday via its Twitter and official website.
Today Bruce was officially given the all-clear by his specialists. https://t.co/9FnKNtmJTk pic.twitter.com/48uY1j0FZG
— Iron Maiden (@IronMaiden) May 15, 2015
In a statement, Dickinson, 56, said:
"I would like to thank the fantastic medical team who have been treating me for the last few months, resulting in this amazing outcome. It's been tough on my family and in many ways it was harder for them than me. I'd also like to send a heartfelt thanks to all our fans for their kind words and thoughts. I'm a firm believer in trying to maintain a positive attitude, and the encouragement from the global Maiden family meant a great deal to me. Right now, I'm feeling extremely motivated and can't wait to get back to business as usual, as soon as I can!"
Band manager Rod Smallwood added:
"We are of course all absolutely delighted that Bruce's doctors have pronounced him free of cancer. Although Bruce is naturally eager to resume Maiden activities, it will take a while before he is completely back to full strength, as we explained previously. Because of this, the band will not be touring or playing any shows until next year. We know our fans will understand the situation and, like us, would prefer to wait until Bruce is back to his usual indefatigable levels of fitness before going out on the road.
For now, the focus will be on putting the finishing touches to the new Iron Maiden studio album and that is what we will be concentrating on over the coming weeks. The release however will definitely be this year. Meanwhile, I'd like to echo Bruce's words and thank all Maiden fans. You have been incredibly patient, putting Bruce's health and well-being first during this difficult time and the band and I appreciate all your positive support."
On Feb. 19, it was revealed on the Iron Maiden site that Dickinson had undergone a 7-week course of action to treat a cancerous tumor at the back of his tongue. That statement said a doctor found the tumor during a routine checkup "just before Christmas."
