Ex-Journey Singer Steve Perry Has Surgery to Remove Cancer
Ex-Journey lead singer Steve Perry revealed he had surgery to remove a cancerous mole from his face. The former front man lost his girlfriend to cancer in December and said it was her ordeal that inspired him to finally reveal the truth.
"I've had two surgeries in two weeks to remove all the cancer cells, and I've been told they think they got it all and no other treatments are required," Perry posted on Fanasylum.com.
He also spoke fondly about his late girlfriend, Kellie Nash, who was a cancer survivor before the disease moved into her brain and eventually led to her death.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"She continued chemo from May into December, when headaches started; cancer had gone to her brain. She started brain radiation and the chemo continued," Perry wrote. "One night she told me she just couldn't do it any more, and would I be angry if she stopped everything? I told her that never would I be angry with her."
The couple spent one year together before the cancer attacked her brain; they spent the last few months just making the best of things before their time was over.
"She was so strong, so courageous, and we really loved each other so very much. I've been trying to grieve and not run from this loss, so for the last 5 months that's what I've been doing, along with recalling everything being in Love with Kellie taught me," he posted.
Perry was the lead singer of Journey for several years before getting into a dispute over whether to have hip replacement surgery. Perry wanted to wait to have the procedure, while his bandmates wanted him to have it sooner rather than later so that they could go on tour with their latest release. Perry left the group and branched out on his own.
Journey has continued touring, with several performers taking Perry's place. The group received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 2005, but Perry made it clear that he would not be rejoining his bandmates.
