Madness guitarist Chris Foreman says he has ‘treatable but not curable’ cancer

By Lauren Del Fabbro, PA Entertainment Reporter

Madness guitarist Chris Foreman has said he has “treatable, but not curable” cancer.

The musician, 69, is best known for being part of the 80s pop group behind the hit songs Our House, It Must Be Love, and House Of Fun.

Foreman announced to fans on Friday that he has been diagnosed myeloma, a form of cancer that he is currently being treated for – and which has been described by the NHS as “a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.”

A post shared by Madness (@madnessband)

In a post shared on the band’s social media channels, Foreman said: “Earlier this year I had severe pain in my upper back and shoulders. On the 28th of June we played a show in France and it had become unbearable.

“I had an MRI scan at the end of June and they found a tumour on my spine. On the 4th of July I went to the Royal Sussex and had all sorts of stuff done to me.

“I had radiotherapy which blasted it and stopped the pain. I actually had a Spinal Tap too – rock n roll! I wasn’t in good shape, to say the least. My kidneys were only at 14% function, which has greatly improved since then.

“What I’ve got is a form of cancer called myeloma. It’s treatable but not curable. When I get it into remission (I will!) I should be able to get back to normal life.

“Some people have had this for 20 years or more. I have a long way to go before I get back onstage but I aim to be back next year. The band, my family, my road crew family and my management team have all been very loving and supportive.

“One of the worst side effects is that I can’t drink alcohol but I’ve mastered a non alcoholic Margarita and those Zero alcohol beers ain’t too bad these days.

“It’s been really hard not being onstage with the band this year. They’ve worked really hard and the shows looked great. I don’t know how they did it without me, to be fair. I won’t be able to do Butlins or the tour this year, which is a great shame but ……”I’LL BE BACK!”

The group recently performed on the Castle Stage at Victorious festival, reeling off their greatest hits including House Of Fun, Baggy Trousers and It Must Be Love.

Since forming in 1976, Madness have released a number of chart-topping albums including Complete Madness, Divine Madness and Theatre Of The Absurd Presents C’est la Vie.