Rocker Stephen Stills battles prostate cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Singer/songwriter Stephen Stills, best known for his work with folk-rock trio Crosby, Stills and Nash, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to bandmate Graham Nash.
Nash told TV talk show host Larry King in a telephone interview late on Monday that Stills is set to undergo an operation on January 3, which happens to be his 63rd birthday.
The news came a day after Dan Fogelberg died at the age of 56, three years after the '70s folk singer was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. Upon learning that he had the disease, Fogelberg urged men over age 50 to get tested.
Nash said an early diagnosis of the disease had potentially saved Stills' life.
"Unlike Danny (Fogelberg), who left it too long to be seriously checked, Stephen found his at an early stage," he told CNN's "Larry King Live" show.
No one was immediately available from Stills' management team to comment.
The third member of the band, David Crosby, has also been ill, forcing the postponement of a U.S. tour earlier this year. Details of Crosby's illness were not disclosed, but he was back on stage by mid-year.
Crosby, Stills and Nash comprised one of rock's biggest acts and embodied Woodstock-era folk-rock sensibilities of peace, love and music. They were known for hits including "Teach Your Children," "Woodstock," and "Marrakesh Express."
Stills rose to fame in the mid-1960s alongside Neil Young in Buffalo Springfield, before teaming up with Crosby and Nash (and sometimes Young). The eclectic guitarist maintained a parallel solo career, which yielded such notable tunes as "Love the One You're With" and "We Are Not Helpless."
(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Eric Beech)
