Cancer Type – Thyroid
Bio – Rod Stewart – Thyroid Cancer almost claimed this musician’s voice, forcing him to contemplate what he would do next, landscape design?
Short Story – At 55, Rod Stewart found himself in midst of the hardest journey in his career. He had cancer removed from his Thyroid, taking weeks for even a scratch in his voice to come back. Not ready to be done performing, the singer felt self-conscious sitting at the piano next to voice coach, Nate Lamb, working on vocal exercises to regain his muscles.
He called his band to rehearse, and could only manage the opening line. When the press received word Rod was fighting cancer, Rod’s response, “There was no fight, of course; no battle, no brave struggle. I wish I could pretend there was, but that would be an insult to people who really have fought, battled and struggled. In my case, the cancer was there, and then a couple of days later it was gone.”
For Rod, the cancer was not the fight. The fight was to get his voice back. One line of a song, went to a pair of lines, which soon led to an entire song, and then two. After a few weeks, he managed to regain the strength for a full show and keep his career.
No matter how small your brush with cancer was Rod, you are an example of working for something you love and want in your life.
Rod Stewart Thyroid Cancer Update
Rod had been cancer-free from thyroid cancer the past eleven years, but in 2017 Rod was battling prostate cancer. He has now again cancer-free.
He is a major advocate for men to go to the doctor for regular screenings. Early detection saves lives.
He also teamed up with the Oral Cancer Foundation after thyroid cancer to be a spokesperson to educate people about screenings for early detection and how important it is to keep a positive attitude.
Rod attributes early detection, his positive attitude, happiness, and faith as to how he beat cancer twice. Especially for men, it is important to go to the doctor regularly and have screenings done.
Rod Stewart is friends with Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones, who battled lung cancer; the two did a charity event to celebrate being alive, raise awareness and funds for cancer.
Rod and wife Penny spend most of their time in Essex, England, but he also has a home in California. He has eight children.
Rod was set to go on a tour over four countries with 42 dates until the Covid19 Pandemic hit, he has been forced to postpone that tour for now.
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roderick David Stewart |
| Also known as | “Rod the Mod” |
| Born | 10 January 1945 (age 75) Highgate, London, England |
| Genres | Rock, pop, blue-eyed soul, blues rock, folk rock, soft rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1961–present |
| Labels | Mercury, Warner Bros., J Records, Universal Music Group, Capitol |
| Associated acts | Faces, The Jeff Beck Group, Shotgun Express, Steampacket |
Image Credits – By Helge Øverås / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)
