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Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood Says He’s Cancer Free

by Best Classic Bands Staff

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Ronnie Wood, via his Facebook page, August 2017

In an interview with the U.K. commuter daily paper, Metro, the Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood declared he was cancer free. The guitarist had revealed in August 2017 that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. At that time, Wood told the Mail on Sunday. “There was a week when everything hung in the balance and it could have been curtains, time to say goodbye.” Wood’s doctor “came back with the news that I had this supernova burning away on my left lung.”

In a Q-and-A in the March 26 edition of Metro, the reporter asked: “How is your cancer?” Wood replied: “I had three months of check-ups and it was all clear and they said go and enjoy life.” Wood turns 71 on June 1.

He was then asked: “Would you turn down chemotherapy if you wanted to keep your hair?” Woody’s answer: “I don’t want to lose my hair. If your body is riddled with cancer, it’s a losing cause. Luckily, all mine was contained within the left lung and I was fortunate enough to get shot of it, bang. There was none in the rest of my body so I didn’t require chemo.”

Wood has been open about his use of various substances throughout his life, and admitted that he was a smoker for more than 50 years, giving it up finally when he and his wife gave birth to twin daughters, Gracie and Alice. He told Metro: “It was a wonder I wasn’t riddled with cancer in both lungs. It’s a wonder they both didn’t explode.”

Related: Our interview with Ronnie Wood

About the Stones, who bring their #NoFilter tour to the U.K. this summer, Wood said: “There’s something magic that happens when all four of us come together. It’s like a momentum none of us can explain. It’s like, bang — an unstoppable force.”

The Stones have 14 dates, spanning six weeks, so far. Other than individual dates, it’s the Stones’ first U.K. tour since 2006.