March 6, 2009 11:24

The Monkees' Peter Tork diagnosed with cancer

Tork has a rare form of head and neck cancer

The Monkees' Peter Tork has been diagnosed with a rare form of head and neck cancer, Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma.

The 67 year-old star made the announcement on his official website, Petertork.com, on Tuesday (March 3), where he revealed that he was scheduled to have extensive surgery in New York the following day (March 4).

In a statement on the site he said that he remained hopefully that he could be effectively treated. "It's a bad news, good news situation," he wrote. "It's so rare a combination (on the tongue) that there isn't a lot of experience among the medical community about this particular combination. On the other hand, the type of cancer it is, never mind the location, is somewhat well known, and the prognosis, I'm told, is good.

He added: "I am extraordinarily grateful, amazed and humbled by the encouragement, affection and support I've received so far. Barring any complications, I fully expect to honour a performance date I have this June with [band] Shoe Suede Blues. We're appearing in Manchester, Connecticut [USE] and I'm looking forward to that and all our tour dates."