Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted revealed he secretly battled throat cancer, beating the deadly disease after a successful surgery.

The '90s rock legend opened up about the health scare during an appearance on Dean Delray's podcast Let There Be Talk, after the comedian brought up Newsted missing the final edition of the Delray's AC/DC and Bon Scott tribute show.

"If I could have been there, I would've been there," Newsted said during the appearance. "And so I will talk about this a little bit. I decided that this week, as I'm beginning to roll out the promotion for the shows and stuff and let everybody know I'm gonna be back around, and you already know it — you're, probably, in the 24 people that I told.

"So, let's see — in one week, it's gonna be a year. So one week from today, it'll be a year. May 8th of 2025, I underwent a procedure for throat cancer. And so they took a bunch of shit outta here and then they went in with lasers this way and took a bunch of shit out. So the cavern inside my head is different than it was, but we got it early. And I got my 'free and clear' about three weeks ago. So I beat it."

Newsted, the underrated bassist during Metallica's biggest years, said he disappeared from the public eye to take care of himself.

"I promised myself I was going to rest, and that was the first time I've done that in my life. I'm usually just on or off. And so I promised myself I was gonna take the gravity off and lay down for the right amount of hours. And there's no way, with my arrogant, spoiled ass that I would've stopped smoking weed, that I would've stopped drinking, that I would've stopped doing all the things. But the great spirit got my attention and said, 'That's not good right now, man.' And so it pulled me off it. And so now I'm more clear-headed than I've been in my entire adult life. And so there's blessings within everything. The lemonade I'm making this summer, bro — mm. Sweet. Ooh."

In addition to his decade-and-a-half stint with Metallica, Newsted provided the low-end for bands like Ozzy Osbourne, Voivod, Flotsam and Jetsam, and Echobrain, among others. He also fronted the solo act Newsted.

His other solo band, Jason Newsted & the Chophouse Band, embarks on 18-date tour beginning July 1 in Northampton, Massachusetts, before the run's grand finale July 25 in Nashville, Tennessee, in support of Blackberry Smoke.

Back when the tour was first announced, Newsted hyped his Americana solo band inspired by traditions of bluegrass, folk, soul, rock, and heavy metal.

"I've realized that this is where I can place my energy effectively now," he said in a statement. "The Chophouse is the continuation of my ambassadorship of American music. The Chophouse Band plays everything from bluegrass to fucking slabs of metal. We're covering a lot of ground. There could be country flavor to a song, but it'll still have sharp teeth. We are looking forward to an exciting summer!"

Tour Dates:

07/01 Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
07/02 Albany, NY @ Empire Underground
07/03 Lititz, PA @ Mickey’s Black Box
07/05 Wayne, PA @ 118 North
07/06 Alexandria, VA @ The Birchmere
07/09 Wilmington, NC @ Greenfield Lake Amphitheater #
07/10 Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center #
07/11 Charlotte, NC @ Ovens Auditorium #
07/12 Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall
07/15 Lewiston, NY @ Artpark #
07/16 Utica, NY @ Saranac Brewery #
07/17 Farmington, PA @ Timber Rock Amphitheater #
07/18 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall #
07/20 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
07/21 Newport, KY @ Southgate House Revival
07/22 Knoxville, TN @ Open Chord
07/24 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium #
07/25 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium #

# supporting Blackberry Smoke

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