NewstedFormer Metallica bassist and backing vocalist Jason Newsted has revealed that he was diagnosed with throat cancer last year. However, he also shared that he’s since undergone treatment and is now “cancer-free.”
Newsted shared the news during an appearance on the Let There Be Talk podcast. For the first time, ahead of his forthcoming tour dates, he detailed his diagnosis, confirming that doctors caught the tumour early.
In the interview with host Dean Delray, he revealed that on 8 May, it will be exactly one year since he “underwent a procedure for throat cancer.”
He explained, “And so, they took a bunch of shit outta here and [pointing to his neck] then they went in with lasers this way [pointing to his nostrils] and took a bunch of shit out. So, the cavern inside my head is different than it was, but we got it early. And I got my ‘free and clear’ about three weeks ago. So, I beat it.”
Discussing how a cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment impacted his life, Newsted continued, “I promised myself I was going to rest, and that was the first time I’ve done that in my life. I’m usually just on or off. And so, I promised myself I was gonna take the gravity off and lay down for the right amount of hours.”
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He concluded that perhaps, without the experience, he might not have done things like quit drinking or smoking weed. Now, he’s clean and “more clear-headed” than he’s ever been.
“There’s no way, with my arrogant, spoiled ass that I would’ve stopped smoking weed, that I would’ve stopped drinking, that I would’ve stopped doing all the things,” Newsted admitted. “But the great spirit got my attention and said, ‘That’s not good right now, man.’ And so, it pulled me off it.
“And so, now I’m more clear-headed than I’ve been in my entire adult life. And so, there’s blessings within everything. The lemonade I’m making this summer, bro — mm. Sweet. Ooh.”
You can check out a snippet of the interview below.
Jason Newsted joined Metallica in 1986, becoming part of the band following the tragic passing of Cliff Burton. Newsted played on the albums ...And Justice for All (1988), Metallica (1991), Load (1996), Reload (1997), and Garage Inc. (1998) before departing the group in January 2001. In 2009, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Metallica.
After he left the heavy metal icons, Newsted performed with bands such as Echobrain and Voivod and toured alongside Ozzy Osbourne.
Since 2012, he’s fronted his own band, Newsted, and fronts the Jason Newsted and The Chophouse Band. He continues to tour.
