14 popular musicians who are currently battling cancer

Just a week after iconic singer Michael Bolton made a heartbreaking revelation in his fight against cancer, 3 Doors Down frontman Brad Arnold announced he was battling the disease, too.

And they are not alone.

The list of musicians currently fighting cancer has grown far too long. Here are 14 popular artists who are battling the disease and sharing the fight with their fans:

Doug Aldrich

Doug Aldrich, a former guitarist with Whitesnake, Dio and currently The Dead Daisies, recently provided an update on his health after announcing last year that he was battling throat cancer.

Per Blabbermouth, Aldrich said in an interview with Radio Bypass’ Ralph Rasmussen that he had a “very successful” surgery about five months ago.

“Everything’s good,” Aldrich said. “I got done with all the radiation treatments in December, and then it’s just been a quick six weeks or whatever. It’s just flown by. But I’ve been feeling good. Everything’s kind of getting back to normal. I’m starting to go to the gym a little bit and work on my muscles and stuff and getting going again like that. So I’m good. I’ve bene playing a lot. There’s a few little issues that pop up — I get some swelling sometimes. After they do that surgery on you, there’s some restructuring of your nasal cavity and stuff like that in your throat. So, there’s a little bit to get used to, but I can’t complain. I’m doing really good. And after what I went through, I’m definitely blessed.”

Aldrich said he had to do radiation treatments five days per week, and that the biggest side effect was fatigue.

“But after a couple of weeks of being done with it, I feel my energy is back,” he said. “I’ve been taking it easy in the gym ‘cause I don’t wanna strain anything. I’ve done that in the past where I was getting ready for a tour and I started to do some heavy weights and I’d pull something, and it’s like I got an issue for six months for it to come back. So, I’m taking it pretty easy. But I’m feeling good, and, yeah, overall, I can’t complain at all.”

Blabbermouth reported that Aldrich was asked if he was in the “clear” from cancer.

“I don’t know if I’m in the clear,” he said. “I guess it takes five or seven years before you’re actually clear, but the doctors — the surgery was really good. Everything was positive, and they fried me really good for six weeks, so I’m pretty sure everything else that was left over is gone. But I got some blood work done last week. We’ll see what that says. And then I’ve got a PET scan, and that’s a full body scan again to determine if everything’s good.”

Aldrich said he is planning to join The Dead Daisies on tour next month.

The Dead Daisies first announced Aldrich’s cancer on the band’s Facebook page last September.

“Hi, to all Daisies fans,” the post read. “We have some crappy news we’d like to share… Unfortunately, Doug has been diagnosed with a treatable throat cancer and has to undergo surgery this week. Moving forward, Doug will not be available for the next run and subsequently long-time good friend & bandmate from the Whitesnake days, Rob Beach, will be filling in for the upcoming European dates. Please join us in wishing Doug all the best for a speedy recovery.”

Aldrich, 61, has also played with the likes of Lion, Hurricane, House of Lords, Bad Moon Rising and Revolution Saints.

Also, per Ultimate Classic Rock, Aldrich auditioned in 1981, at the age of 18, to replace Ace Frehley in Kiss.

Brad Arnold

Brad Arnold, the frontman for the popular rock band 3 Doors Down, took to social media Wednesday with some heartbreaking news.

“I’ve got some not-so-good news for you today,” Arnold said in a video shared to the band’s Instagram. “So, I got sick a couple of weeks ago, and then I went to the hospital and got checked out and had actually got the diagnosis that I had clear cell renal carcinoma that had metastasized into my lung. And it’s Stage 4, and that’s not real good.

“But you know what?” Arnold continued. “We serve a mighty God, and he can overcome anything. So, I have no fear. I really, sincerely am not scared of it at all. But it is gonna force us to cancel our tour this summer, and we’re sorry for that.”

He then asked fans to “life me up in prayer every chance you get.”

“And I think it’s time for me to go listen to ‘It’s Not My time’ a little bit,” he said. “Thank you guys so much. God loves ya. We love ya. See ya.”

Arnold, 46, and 3 Doors Down formed in 1996. The band rose to fame in 2000 with its hit single “Kryptonite” which went all the way to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chats.

Michael Bolton

The good news for Michael Bolton is that his latest scan for brain cancer came back clear, but the bad news is the type of cancer he has been battling.

The 72-year-old legendary singer revealed to PEOPLE that he has been battling glioblastoma. That is a rare, aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer.

It is heartbreaking news for fans of the singer who, per PEOPLE, has sold 75 million records and won two Grammys across his remarkable 50-year career.

“You’re reaching into your resources and your resolve in a way that you never would have thought,” Bolton told PEOPLE. “Succumbing to the challenge is not an option. You’re really quickly drawn into a duel. I guess that’s the way you find out what you’re made of.”

PEOPLE said that Bolton was first diagnosed with glioblastoma in December of 2023. He went through an emergency brain surgery in which his doctors were able to completely remove the tumor — something that reportedly does not happen often — and then had another brain surgery in December 2024 to deal with an infection.

PEOPLE said that Bolton undergoes MRIs every two months to ensure the tumor has not come back. His April scan was clear.

“Whenever you find yourself in any kind of challenging position, just to know that you’re not alone going through it is a big deal,” Bolton told PEOPLE, explaining that he has declined to receive his prognosis on purpose. ‘It actually helps people to know. It reminds them that they’re not alone.”

He told the site he meditates daily and golfs regularly, still works with a personal trainer, and still takes voice lessons.

“I find comfort in general more easily,” he said. “(The whole experience) gives me a heightened sense of appreciation. It’s unthinkable for it to be okay not to make the most of your life. I think we develop capabilities and problem management, and we learn how to make the best out of a bad situation. You have to be a cheerleader for you.”

Still, knowing what he is up against, Bolton told PEOPLE he is concerned about how he leaves his daughters.

“How do I give things that they can take forward?” he said. “Life lessons, love, any kind of validation that I can give (them) — I want to be on the right side of that so they feel great about who they are. It’s a reality of mortality. Suddenly a new light has gone on that raises questions, including ‘Am I doing the best that I can do with my time?’

“I want to keep going,’ he added. “I feel there’s still a lot to do on the fight side. I got a title for a song: ‘Ain’t Going Down Without a Fight.”

Vivian Campbell

Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell is one tough dude, and we know that because he has been battling cancer for more than a decade.

That’s why it raised some eyebrows when he missed the band’s first show of 2025 due to the disease. Now we know, though, that he was out for a very important reason.

“Thank you for all recent messages and support,” Campbell wrote on social media in January. “As you all may know, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma several years ago. I recently had a bone marrow transplant as part of my treatment plan, and it’s safe to say thus far it’s been a very successful transplant! I just have to keep my head down and my spirits up for the next 100 days of primary recovery.”

LouderSound.com reported that Campbell has been battling Hodgkin lymphoma since 2013.

“I’m still dealing with the lymphoma,” Campbell reportedly told the Lymphoma Voices podcast in 2023. “It’s sort of like — it’s an American expression — Whac-a-Mole. You beat something back and then it pops up somewhere else. But it’s been a pretty consistent battle, but it hasn’t been too difficult for me. I deal with it fine. I’ve been able to live my life.”

Campbell told the podcast that for the bulk of his journey he has been able to treat the cancer with immunotherapy.

“Starting in June of 2015, I started taking a drug called pembrolizumab,” he said. “I remember that at the time my doctors wanted me to do radiation and maybe a combination of radiation and chemo. And I just thought, ‘Well, let’s just try this immunotherapy thing. Let’s see if this works’ So I managed to get on the trial. I’m happy to say that it worked well for me.”

It looks like Campbell will be out of action for a while, but a successful bone marrow transplant will hopefully free him from cancer.

Paul Cauthen

A post to Paul Cauthen’s Instagram page back in February let fans know that he was leaving the road to return home to “take care of his mental and physical health.”

Turns out, that decision very well may have saved the 39-year-old country and country rock singer’s life, and we know that because Cauthen told the world as much in a follow-up video he posted to his Instagram account on Thursday.

“How y’all doing, Paul Cauthen here,” he said. “It’s been a while since I’ve talked to my fans and wanted to give y’all a little message here today. I know, I have kind of been blacked out and you know, not really present online. But just know that it has been for the right reasons.”

Cauthen explained that he got pneumonia while he was out on the road and was “taking a bunch of steroids to get me through those shows.”

“But something woke me up, and I was blue in my lips and white my face, and it just scared the hell out of me,” he said. “I went up to the front of the bus, and talked to my bus driver, Tony, and I was like, ‘Where are we?’ I looked out the front of the bus window, and it said Des Moines International Airport next exit. I flew home. I kind of shoo myself and listened to myself for the first time in a long time.”

Cauthen said he decided to go to the Cooper Clinic in Dallas after he got healthy for a few weeks because he “wanted to get my body checked out.”

“Go up there, and I get a bunch of scans done,” he said. “Happened to be clear. Great heart, lungs, liver’s great. He said, but you know we do have this one little spot, what he called a hot spot, and they found a mass in my right thyroid.

“They told me it is papillary carcinoma, and it’s cancer.”

The good news is, that per the Cleveland Clinic, papillary carcinoma is the most common kind of thyroid cancer and often has an excellent prognosis.

“Looking back at it all, slowing down and taking some time to get healthy, and getting off the road actually probably ended up saving my life,” Cauthen said. “I have had a lot of time to reflect and realize that life is short and precious. Just know that I thank you so much for all of your unwavering support through it all.

“I will tour again,” he promised. “I will sing on stage again. I’m not done by any means. I’ll have new music. I will keep on writing and keep on doing what I know that I need to do, and I know that I’m a vessel on stage, that God has me here for a reason and had me go up to Cooper Clinic and get all this checked out for a reason.

“So, thank you, God bless and be kind to one another.”

Jeffrey Hatrix

Jeffrey Hatrix, the former frontman for the popular metal band Mushroomhead, has given an update on his cancer battle just weeks after first making the revelation.

In a post recently shared by his daughter, Mea, on his GoFundMe account, he revealed that he is not using conventional methods to attack the disease.

“Hello everybody, my dad wanted to give another update,” Mea wrote. “He is now 1 week fully into his alternative medicine treatment. Which consists of 9 tinctures and 2 capsules. 3 times a day over the course of 8 weeks, not 6 as his dyslexic brain first told him. This protocol is from Morse Healthcare out of Florida and it goes with a diet of Fruit and Vegetables and daily visits to his steam sauna. We would both like to thank you all more than words could ever say. Love, Mea.”

In a previous update she passed along that her father was grateful for all the support.

“We are blown away by the outpouring of love and support and words could never say how much this means,” she wrote.

She also promised that new music was coming.

Hatrix, better known by his stage name Jeffrey Nothing, had the GoFundMe launched by Mea to help support his treatment in January.

“My dad has recently been diagnosed with cancer just months after losing my mom to the same thing,” she wrote. “Due to this, he may have to stop working during his treatment. Anything means everything. Thank you.”

The fundraiser has a goal of $20,000 and has currently raised just more than $18,000.

Hatrix’s wife, Stacy, reportedly died from cancer in April 2024. She was just 38.

Hatrix’s particular form of cancer was not disclosed in the reports or in the GoFundMe.

Blabbermouth reported that Hatrix also shared the GoFundMe to his social media and wrote, “I really wanted to keep this to myself. I was diagnosed a couple months ago. It will be very hard to continue working with the treatment path I have chosen. Thank you for anything you can do to help. I know everyone is going through a lot.”

Hatrix left Mushroomhead in 2018, and he sued the band’s drummer and producer, Steve “Skinny” Felton last year claiming copyright infringement and also alleging that he had not been paid owed royalties, per Blabbermouth.

Rob Hirst

Rob Hirst, the drummer for the popular Australian rock group Midnight Oil, is battling pancreatic cancer.

The 69-year-old made the revelation in a recent interview with The Australian. Hirst, who co-founded Midnight Oil in the 1970s, said he has been battling the disease for two years.

“So, it’s ongoing,” he told the newspaper. “I’ve had pretty much every treatment known to man — every scan, ultrasound, MRI. I’ve kind of had ‘the works.‘”

Hirst said the cancer was stage 3 when he found it. He said that he had an unsuccessful, eight-hour surgery to remove the tumor, but is still going through chemo and radiation. Billboard reported that “Cancer Australia” said the survival rate for those with pancreatic cancer between 2016 and 2020 was 12% for men.

“Coming up to two years, I thought I just need to get this, literally, off my chest,” Hirst told The Australian. “Also, I think that lesson for me – and maybe why I’ve lasted this long – is because, if you do have any of that kind of symptom, where there’s something that you feel is wrong, just go and get a simple blood test. It could be life-changing, and life-extending.”

Ben Kenney

Ben Kenney, the former bassist for the popular rock group Incubus, is one tough dude.

And we know that because the 47-year-old recently made his return to the stage three years after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Kenny had surgery to remove the tumor, but Guitar World reported that he was faced with multiple complications.

The site reported that Kenney was rendered permanently deaf in one ear and also has partial facial paralysis. And Guitar World said, Kenney was also hit by the death of his father as he tried to recover.

He was replaced in Incubus by Nicole Row.

He revealed in an Instagram post what brought him back to the stage.

“Last year, some friends helped me get back on my feet,” he wrote. “I hadn’t been on stage in a few years and I was scared about performing after losing my hearing. I had gone to see Micky Dolenz play a bunch of times and each time his bassist (John Billings) would say to me ‘You gotta come play with us.’ I finally got up the nerve and said yes.”

Kenney said their first jam session featured the song “Come Together” by The Beatles.

“Just a few days later, I was onstage with Micky and his band playing live for the first time in years,” he wrote. “I still can’t believe it. I’m so grateful to Micky, John and the whole band for giving me a huge win when I needed one.”

Fans responded with love.

“Wow!” one person wrote. “How inspiring! Your hearing? You’re so gifted. This is so amazing. Glad to see you back and operating in your gift!”

“You are one of the most talented musicians I’ve ever seen,” another wrote. “Instrumentally, vocally, your approach, your taste, your style, your dynamics. You belong on stage! Huge win!”

There were plenty more comments like them and you can see them and Kenney’s post here.

Guitar World reported that Kenney is also making new music and recently released a new single, “Fire.”

Lou Koller

Lou Koller, the frontman for the popular punk rock group Sick of It All, took to social media this past week with a major update in his battle against cancer.

“Last day of chemo,” Koller said smiling on a video he shared to the band’s Instagram page. “Last day of chemo. Thanks for all of your support. I’m doing pretty good. Going to deal with this stuff, be sick for a about a week and a half and then start the healing.

“Just got to get my voice and body back in shape,” he added. “Thanks everybody see ya.’

He also wrote a bit next to the video, noting that his fingers and feet are numb and he didn’t know when that would go away.

“It’s different for everyone,” he added. “Same for the tastebuds. Don’t know when I’ll be able to taste food normally again. Right now I kind of taste what I’m eating but it’s over powered by a chemical/metallic taste. But it will be just a memory soon.”

Koller announced last June that he had cancer.

“What’s up everybody?” Koller said in a video posted to the band’s Instagram page back then. “Lou here. As you may or may not know, we had to cancel our full European tour this summer. There’s some rumors going around as to why, and we are here to set the record straight, but we wanted to wait until we got all the information before making an announcement.”

That is when he got right to what he is dealing with.

“The reason that it is cancelled is because they found a tumor in my esophagus that goes into my stomach, and I’ll have to be getting treatment all summer,” he said. “Of course, I had full support of the band. As soon as they heard it, they were like forget the tour. Just get healthy.”

Raul Malo

Raul Malo first announced his cancer diagnosis last summer, and he has been keeping fans updated along each step of the journey as he battles the disease.

But in a recent interview with NPR, The Mavericks frontman opened up more about his fight against stage 4 colon cancer and what he has learned along the way.

“It has been a beautiful, really remarkable kind of journey,” Malo said. “I went public with this as soon as we could, and it helped me deal with it as well. You know, it helped me find strength to not fear it, but tackle it head on and continue to live your life. Continue doing what you are doing.”

Malo was hospitalized earlier this year, and he previously revealed that was due to a hernia. He talked about that, as well, with NPR while revealing that muscle will be fixed when he has an upcoming colon surgery.

The most poignant moment of the interview came when the 59-year-old discussed what he has learned about life while dealing with cancer.

“I was laughing about this the other day,” he said. “We live in a very … I don’t think it’s any lie, no matter who you talk to, we live in a divided time. People are on edge, and you see it online, you see it in newscasts, this and that. This whole time I have been shown nothing but the best of humanity. I see kindness. I see empathy. I see understanding, and it’s like, ‘Oh my God, does everybody need to have cancer to see this side of humanity?’ Because it seems like that is the only way you are going to see it nowadays.

“It has been an amazing journey to live through it,” he added. “To see what we can do, and what we are capable of. It gives me hope. Let me just say that. It gives me hope.”

Roger O’Donnell

The Cure’s Roger O’Donnell announced on X last September that he was batting that he was battling a rare and aggressive lymphoma.

He was then attacked by anti-vaxxers on the platform who claimed his vaccination status led to his health issue. He subsequently deleted his announcement and left the platform.

“September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month so it’s a good opportunity to have a dialogue about these diseases,” he wrote on X before he left. “In September last year I was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of lymphoma. I had ignored the symptoms for a few months but finally went and after surgery the result of the biopsy was devastating.”

O’Donnell said he had “now completed 11 months of treatment under some of the finest specialists in the world.” He also praised his treatment options included “the latest sci fi immunotherapy and some drugs that were first used 100 years ago.”

“The last phase of treatment was radiotherapy which was also one of the first treatments developed against cancer,” he added. “I’m fine and the prognosis is amazing.”

“The mad axe murderer knocked on the door and we didn’t answer,” O’Donnell closed. “Cancer CAN be beaten but if you are diagnosed early enough you stand a way better chance, so all I have to say is go GET TESTED, if you have the faintest thought, you may have symptoms go and get checked out.”

Ronnie Platt

Fans of the legendary rock band Kansas and its frontman Ronnie Platt have reason to celebrate because the band is now poised to prepare for the road once more.

And that is because Platt announced last week that he had successful surgery as he battles thyroid cancer.

“I am home!” Platt posted on Facebook. “The Doctor said my surgery couldn’t have gone any better!!! I felt the power of everyone’s prayers and positive energy! You all have helped me thru this, how do I? or can I? ever thank all of you for that!!!!????

“Day 1 of recovery here I am!!!” he continued. “I am looking forward to getting back to what I do best! Yes, Singing, but my true job is entertaining you all and helping you at least for a couple hours forget about your problems and recharge your batteries. I take a lot of pride in that!!!!! Thank you all again, CARRY ON!!!!”

The band cancelled a handful of shows last month as Platt geared up for the surgery, and it is now set to return to the road, provided he is fully recovered, on April 4.

Platt first announced he was headed for surgery back in February.

“I met with my doctor today and found out I have surgery scheduled for March 4,” he wrote in a statement shared to the band’s Facebook page. “So far, the prognosis has been very good. I’m looking forward to getting this behind me and being back in the saddle as soon as possible. I appreciate the outpouring of support I’ve been receiving.

“Thank you.”

The 64-year-old first announced his diagnosis earlier in February.

“For all of you asking,” Tuesday (Feb. 11) I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer but before everyone gets all excited, it has a 99% survival rate, it has not spread,” he reportedly wrote. “It’s contained to my thyroid. I just have to have my thyroid removed. Go through some rehab time and be right back in the saddle.”

That’s about as good of news you can get with cancer. Still, Platt joins a growing list of musicians currently battling the diseases.

Platt asked fans for “positive thoughts and prayers.”

“As it has been put to me, this is just a bump in the road and will be behind me very soon!” he wrote. “So, everyone please CARRY ON!”

Platt replaced Steve Walsh in 2014 as the lead singer for Kansas.

The band celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023.

Bobby Sherman

Fans of former teen idol actor and singer Bobby Sherman continue to send well-wishes and prayers just more than a month after his wife first announced he had stage 4 cancer.

Since then there has not been much news to report, and in a fight like this that is really not bad news at all.

The most important piece of news, however, continues to be that the beloved 81-year-old is still alive and fighting. And that is, at least, giving him time to see the beautiful messages of support and well-wishes pouring in from followers.

Iconic actor John Stamos recently filmed a video for Sherman, and that was emotional, but it has nothing on the video sent to Sherman from the children of Ghana. Turns out Sherman has been supporting quality education, health, food and recreation for the children of Ghana through the Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children’s Foundation since 2011.

Some of those children wanted to let Sherman know that his love has been appreciated.

“There’s nothing in this world I couldn’t do,” a group of children sing as the video begins. “My dreams will all come true because of you.”

There were then multiple well-wishes from children on the video.

“Hi, Bobby,” one young boy said into the camera. “We love you so much. Thank you for everything you do for us. Stay strong. We are praying for you.”

“You are not alone in this fight,” another said. “We are with you. Get well soon.”

“My prayer for you is that God should protect you and give you strength through all it is that you do,” another said.

“You are the strongest person that we know and we know you will beat this, was the message from another. “Get well soon.”

“You’ve always been my hero, and now it’s my time to cheer for you,” another said.

“Your strength inspires us every day,” another said. “Just like you never give up on us, we’ll never give up on you.”

And those were not all of the messages. Truly emotional stuff, and several folks thought the same.

“This brought tears to my eyes,” one person wrote. “God bless you Bobby! We all love you!”

Stamos also used his video message to tell Sherman that he loved him.

“Hey Bobby, I’m at Disney World, and I was just thinking about you,” Stamos said in the clip. “I love you pal. Sending you lots of love and good vibes from Disney World and from my heart. You’re one of my dearest friends, and I’ve just been thinking about you a lot. You’ve been on my mind and in my heart, and I just want to say, ‘God Bless you.’ I will cherish our friendship forever, and I really love you.”

Sherman’s wife, Brigitte Poublon, spoke with Fox News Digital earlier this month when she revealed that Sherman is “terminally ill” and is “at home with special care.”

She told Fox that Sherman had kidney cancer that has “spread everywhere.” And, sadly, she made it sound like the star is winding down.

“He was doing crossword puzzles with me in the last few days,” she told Fox. “And then all of a sudden Saturday, he turned around and … he’s just sleeping more and his body’s not working anymore. It’s not.

“Everything’s shutting down.”

She said her husband retired last year but was still signing autographs from home. Now, she said, he “can barely sign his name,” and just wants “to be life in peace.”

“His last words from the hospital last night were, ‘Brig, I just want to go home,’” she told Fox.

She did tell Fox that she hopes fans celebrate her husband while he is still here.

“I think it’s important that Bobby realizes the impact he left on the world, the music he left behind, the TV series he left behind, but mostly, too, his love for caring about people, being a paramedic, a cop,” she said. “I want to have him realize how many people he really influenced, how he touched lives.”

Poublon first revealed that Sherman was battling cancer in a Facebook post in late March.

“To all of Bobby Sherman’s cherished fans,” she wrote. “As many of you know, Bobby has been retired for some time and is no longer able to participate in cameos, sign autographs, or make appearances. It is with a heavy heart that we share Bobby has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

“During this challenging time, we kindly ask for your understanding and respect for our privacy,” she added. “Thank you so much for still remembering him. We really appreciate it.”

Andy Taylor

Andy Taylor, the guitarist for the legendary rock group Duran Duran, has been battling stage 4 prostate cancer since 2018.

He has previously said that the disease is incurable at its stage.

Duran Duran member Simon Le Bon spoke at a music festival press conference in Italy in February and said that Taylor is fighting “as hard as he can.”

“I am sure he would love to be here,” he said. “He’s fighting as hard as he can, and we are with him in that fight.”

Taylor said in a 2023 interview that he was taking a drug that “only sees cancer cells” and kills “stage-four cancer in your bones.”

“So, what it’s effectively done is extend my life for five years,” he said.