Green Day Guitarist Jason White Diagnosed With Cancer

Green Day’s touring guitarist, Jason White, has been diagnosed with a treatable form of tonsil cancer. The news was announced by the band in a statement.

“We have some news to report regarding our brother Jason White, and wanted you to hear it from us before word spread. Jason recently underwent a routine tonsillectomy, and his doctors discovered a treatable form of tonsil cancer. Thankfully they caught I early and he should make a full and speedy recovery. Please join us in sending him love and positive healing vibes during this time.”

Green Day formed in 1987 with the original lien-up being Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool, and Mike Dirnt. According to Rolling Stone, White first worked with Armstrong’s side project, Pinhead Gunpowder, in the 90s. White joined Green Day on stage in 1999 when they toured for Warning.

After the temporary stint, Jason White became the lead guitarist for Green Day’s tours and live performances. The Mirror reports that White became an official member of the band in 2012 when ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tre! were released.

As of writing, the band’s statement on Facebook already has more than 17,000 shares, and thousands showed their support by wishing Jason White well.

This isn’t the first time one of Green Day member’s has faced health issues. A couple of years ago, the band was forced to cancel their tour when Armstrong entered rehab for his drug addiction. One of the band’s performances was cut short due to Armstrong’s rants and meltdown on stage.

In an interview in 2013, he described his ordeal.

“I couldn’t predict where I was going to end up at the end of the night. I’d wake up in a strange house on a couch. I wouldn’t remember how. It was a complete blackout.”

There are rumors that Green Day will be releasing a new album next year. Armstrong posted a picture on Instagram, which read “Green Day 15” with the caption, “I’m in a hardware store in queens. and this is on my mind #greenday15 #thefutureisnow #greendayforever”

Green Day is one of the nominated bands to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

[Image via Ultimate Classic Rock]