Oasis guitarist Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs has announced he has prostate cancer and will have to take a “planned break” from the band’s current reunion tour.
The band, fronted by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, finished the triumphant UK leg of the comeback shows last month, with dates in South Korea, Japan, Australia and South America coming up throughout October and November.
Arthurs, a co-founder of the Manchester group, shared the news in a post on Instagram.
“Early this year I was diagnosed with prostate cancer,” he said. “The good news is I’m responding really well to treatment, which meant I could be part of this incredible tour.
“Now, I am having to take a planned break for the next phase of my care, so I’ll be missing the gigs in Seoul, Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney.”
The 60-year-old said he was “really sad” to miss these Oasis shows but assured fans he is “feeling good and will be back ready to go in time for South America”.
He told fans to “have an amazing time” at the gigs this month, “and I’ll see you back onstage with the band in November”.
Sharing Arthurs’ post, a message on the official Oasis Instagram account said: “Wishing you all the best with your treatment… we’ll see you back on stage in South America.”
The announcement comes following a previous diagnosis of tonsil cancer in 2022. Back then, Arthurs had to take a break from performing with Liam Gallagher at his solo shows, before being given the “all-clear” after treatment.
The guitarist first started playing music with Liam Gallagher in The Rain, the band which later became Oasis.
He left in 1999 but continued to work with Liam over the years, including in his band Beady Eye and on his subsequent solo work.
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The highlight of the summer for fans
Oasis announced their reunion in August last year, 15 years on from their infamous split after Noel walked out in 2009.
The shows started in Cardiff in July and have been the highlight of the summer for thousands of fans who thought they would never see the previously feuding Gallagher brothers on stage together again.
It is rumoured they will continue their run of shows next year, which marks 30 years since they played two sell-out nights at Knebworth Park to an estimated 250,000 people.
In response to Arthurs’ announcement, Chiara De Biase, from Prostate Cancer UK, said that by openly sharing his experience, he is “raising lifesaving awareness among men across the UK and around the world”.
She added: “Prostate cancer often doesn’t have symptoms at the early stages, but the earlier you find it, the easier it is to treat.”
