Elvis Costello has canceled the rest of his European tour dates after announcing that he is recovering after cancer surgery, but don’t count him out just yet. Costello says that his doctor believes that the surgery was curative from what he is calling a “very aggressive” form of cancer.
Irish Central says that Costello’s doctor told him he should play the lottery because he got that lucky.
“Six weeks ago my specialist called me and said, ‘You should start playing the Lotto’. He had rarely, if ever, seen such a small but very aggressive cancerous malignancy that could be defeated by a single surgery.”
Elvis Costello, who was apologetic about canceling the tour dates, wanted to relay an even more important message to his fans, especially his male fans, who are perhaps reluctant to seek advice for the types of cancer which strike men.
“Take very good care of your loved ones but Gentleman, do talk to your friends – you’ll find you are not alone – seek your doctor’s advice if you are in doubt or when it is timely and act as swiftly as you may in these matters. It may save your life. Believe me, it is better than playing roulette.”
#ElvisCostello has revealed he was recently diagnosed with “a small but very aggressive cancerous malignancy”, has undergone treatment, and is currently in recovery. We wish him a speedy recovery. https://t.co/RxrHOlglLh
— SiriusXM VOLUME (@siriusxmvolume) July 6, 2018
Though Costello did not specifically name his type of cancer, testicular and prostate cancers are the two which strike men. Testicular cancer most often strikes men between the ages of 20 and 40, while prostate cancer traditionally strikes men over age fifty. Elvis Costello is 63-years-old.
The Stranger shared that Costello hoped that he could continue bucking the trend and return back to his tour shortly after surgery, but that has not been the case. The singer and composer says that his doctor’s guidelines indicate that he needs some additional recovery time.
“I was elated and relieved that our European summer tour could go ahead. Post-surgical guidelines for such surgery, recommend three weeks to four weeks recovery depending on whether you are returning to a desk job or an occupation that involves physical work or travel.”
Costello thanked friends, colleagues, and fans, and said that along with his band, The Imposters, he will be releasing new music in October.
“To leave you with some more optimistic news, The Imposters and I – together with several of our other friends – have made a magnificent new record of which we are truly proud. It will be issued in October, I believe. We will return at the soonest opportunity to play that music and your favorite songs that still make sense to us all.”
Elvis Costello is married to singer Diana Krall, and the couple has twin sons, age 12.
