Ronnie Wood reveals second cancer diagnosis; releasing new art print for addiction-recovery charity

Credit: Kevin Mazur

After surviving a bout with lung cancer a few years ago, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood reveals that he’s been given “the all-clear” after experiencing a second cancer scare during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Wood tells U.K. newspaper The Sun, “I’ve had cancer two different ways now. I had lung cancer in 2017 and I had small-cell more recently that I fought in the last lockdown.”

According to The Sun, small-cell cancer is a fast-growing form of the disease that commonly starts in the lung and also can affect the prostate, pancreas, bladder and lymph nodes.

Ronnie says, thankfully, “I came through with the all-clear.”

During Wood’s first cancer battle, he had an operation to remove part of a lung but was declared cancer-free in 2018. Having struggled with sobriety for many years, Ronnie notes that overcoming his alcohol and drug dependency has helped him deal with his recent health issues.

“I’m going through a lot of problems now, but throughout my recovery, you have to let it go,” he maintains. “And when you hand the outcome over to your higher power, that is a magic thing.”

Meanwhile, Wood will be releasing a limited-edition signed print of a painting he created called Affirmation I that will help raise money for the Turn Up for Recovery, a charitable movement founded by Eric Clapton‘s wife, Melia, that promotes abstinence-based addiction recovery through music.

The art features the positive phrase “When I Take Care of Myself I Can Achieve Anything,” along with a colorful abstract design. Five-hundred hand-signed and numbered copies of the print will be available, priced at £399 — about $554 U.S. — starting Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET via RonnieWood.com. Half the proceeds will benefit Turn Up for Recovery.