Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford has revealed that he recently underwent surgery after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The 54-year-old musician told SPIN magazine that he hopes his story will inspire others to "get checked out".
"Right before I was about to go on tour with Rage, I had my prostate removed, and I have prostate cancer," he said.
"I've been someone that's taken a lot of pride in being in shape and taking care of myself. But it's something where either you're either lucky or not."
When asked about the background to his diagnosis, Commerford replied: "I went to get life insurance but my PSA (Prostate-specific antigen - a blood test to screen for prostate cancer) numbers were up. I couldn't get it. They wouldn't insure me.
"At first, the number was very low - like one-point-something. I watched it over the course of a year and a half, and it kept elevating further. Eventually, they did a biopsy and found out I had cancer, so they took my prostate out.
"Music has always been there in the toughest of times."@RATMofficial's Tim Commerford reveals his private battle with prostate cancer
— SPIN (@SPIN) December 12, 2022
Read the full interview here: https://t.co/IM9OboSuYI
"I had been thinking, 'Well, because they're watching it and let it get to this point, maybe it's not that big of a deal'. I blame myself. I should have said, 'My numbers are elevated and what does that really mean?' I should have taken it more seriously.
"Now I'm in the situation that I'm in, which is, hold your breath for six months. It's not a good one and not one that I'm happy about. I'm just trying to grab ahold of the reins. It's gonna be a long journey, I hope. My dad died in his early 70s from cancer and my mom died from cancer in her 40s. Split the difference to 65 and I've got 10 years. I'm trying to get to the 100-song mark - I have some goals now. Songwriting has become a catharsis for me."
Commerford said he considers the glass to be "half-full".
"Everything happens for a reason, and that's what I always tell myself. That's what a lot of people say, but I really believe that," he concluded.
"I hope there's one person who reads this and is like, 'F***, I need to get checked out' when they find out about it. It's going to be OK because they found out about it, and for me, that's good enough."
If you have been affected by issues raised in this story, please visit: www.rte.ie/helplines.
