Ronnie Wood revealed that he battled cancer during the period of social isolation. Fortunately, the Rolling Stones received confirmation that he is cancer-free after receiving a second diagnosis of the disease.
This time, the musician received a diagnosis of small cell lung cancer, a rare and aggressive type of the disease, and spent the isolation period undergoing treatment. “I’ve had cancer in two different ways now. I had lung cancer in 2017 and I’ve had small cell lung cancer recently, [which] I fought during the last lockdown,” he told The Sun. “I came out all clear.”
Wood stated that lessons learned from groups like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous in the pursuit of sobriety were essential in giving him strength during this period. “I’m going through a lot of problems right now, but during my recovery, you have to let go. And when you surrender the outcome to a higher power, that’s a magical thing,” he explained. “It brings you back to the Serenity Prayer: ‘Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.’ That’s incredible. What will be, has nothing to do with me. All I can do is maintain my positive attitude, be strong and fight, and the rest is up to my higher power.”.
In the documentary Somebody Up There Likes Me , released in 2019, the guitarist attributed his cancer to his long-standing habit of smoking about 25 to 30 cigarettes a day for over 50 years.
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