The Dead Daisies’ guitarist Doug Aldrich has been diagnosed with throat cancer.
The 61-year-old rocker – who is also known for his stints in Whitesnake and Dio – is set to undergo surgery to treat the disease this week and will be replaced by Reb Beach on their November European run.
The hard rock group reassured fans that the musician’s cancer is “treatable”, and they can’t wait to welcome him back when he’s recovered.
A statement on the band’s social media pages read: “Unfortunately Doug has been diagnosed with a treatable throat cancer and has to undergo surgery this week.
“Moving forward, Doug will not be available for the next run, and subsequently longtime good friend and bandmate from the Whitesnake days, Reb Beach, will be filling in for the upcoming European dates.
“Please join us in wishing Doug all the best for a speedy recovery. We look forward to having him back on deck really soon.”
Doug has been a member of the group since 2016 and replaced Richard Fortus after he reunited with Guns N’ Roses for the ‘Not in This Lifetime… Tour’.
The Dead Daises were formed in 2012 by former INXS star Jon Stevens and David Lowy.
Since then, they’ve had many famous musicians come and go, including Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes and Guns N’ Roses’ Dizzy Reed, but the current lineup sees Doug and David joined by vocalist John Corabi, drummer Tommy Clufetos and bassist Michael Devin.
Doug has appeared on five of the group’s seven albums: 2016’s ‘Make Some Noise’, 2018’s ‘Burn It Down’, 2021’s ‘Holy Ground’, 2022’s ‘Radiance’ and this year’s ‘Light ‘Em Up’.