The founding member revealed in a post that he was diagnosed with bladder cancer early this month and underwent a surgery.
- Oct 18, 2015
AceShowbiz - Sad news for the hippies. Grateful Dead's founding member Phil Lesh revealed that he was battling bladder cancer and is receiving treatment in Scottsdale, Arizona. A number of concerts in October have been canceled as a result.
Lesh made the announcement on the Facebook page of his music venue Terrapin Crossroads on Friday, October 16. The 75-year-old musician said he got the diagnose earlier this month and went through a surgery to remove the tumor. He added that it's a non-aggressive type of cancer and that his prognosis is good.
"I am very fortunate to have the pathology reports show that the tumors are all non-aggressive, and that there is no indication that they have spread," Lesh said in the statement. "So thanks to my local doctor Cliff Sewell and the incredible team at the Mayo Clinic, all is well and I can return to normal activities in two weeks from my surgery."
A pair of Phil Lesh & Friends concert dates, October 25 and 26, at Terrapin Crossroads are canceled. Lesh promised to reschedule the shows "as soon as we can". The next scheduled gig would be October 30 in New York. "Keep a lookout for a free Grate Room show before I leave for the East Coast shows," Lesh said in the post. "I also plan to pop in and jam in the bar before we leave, so I hope to see you there at Terrapin."
Lesh battled prostate cancer in 2006.
