Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford has revealed he is battling prostate cancer.
“I’ve been dealing with some pretty serious s**t,” the 54-year-old musician told Spin. "Right before I was about to go on tour with Rage, I had my prostate removed.”
Commerford opened up about the impact the diagnosis has had on his mental health.
“You can find yourself in a situation like I’m in where it’s like, f**k, my whole life changed,” he explained. “With everything that happens to me now, I wonder, am I feeling this way because I have cancer? Am I losing my hair because I have cancer? Whatever it is, it makes me wonder if it’s happening because I have cancer.
“And prostate cancer is a very, very, very tough one because it’s connected to your sexuality. It’s hard to disconnect from that and when you’re forced into that situation, it’s a brutal psychological journey.”
But, he said he hopes talking about having prostate cancer will help others. “I hope there’s one person who reads this and is like, ‘F**k, I need to get checked out.’”
Commerford said he chose to talk publicly about having cancer after watching Duran Duran getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where it was revealed that Andy Taylor was absent because he has Stage 4 prostate cancer.
Commerford said he takes pride in being in shape and taking care of his health. "It’s gonna be a long journey, I hope," said Commerford. "My dad died in his early 70s from cancer and my mom died from cancer in her 40s. Split the difference to 65 and I’ve got 10 years."