Drummer Lee Kerslake Vows to Beat’ His Cancer Diagnosis

Drummer Lee Kerslake, whose career credits include stints with Ozzy Osbourne and Uriah Heep, has given fans an encouraging update on his battle with bone and prostate cancer.  Classic Rock magazine quotes Kerslake as saying his most recent feedback from doctors indicates he’s turned a corner in his treatment. “I have had numerous tests and have been told by my specialists that I will be around for a good while yet meaning years,” he noted. “My bone and prostate cancer can be controlled for me to live pretty much a normal life after all, I kicked my diabetes into remission, so I will beat this.”

Kerslake, who turns 69 next year, vowed that his recent health issues won’t keep him from getting behind the kit. “I still have a lot of loyal fans to play to, which I intend to do in the coming years. I also want a big spread on my 80th,” he added. “Love you all, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”

Even while battling cancer, Kerslake has stayed busy in recent months. As previously reported, he joined his former bandmates in Uriah Heep for a one-off gig in Moscow earlier this year, playing alongside former Heep guitarist and keyboardist Ken Hensley during a two-hour set celebrating many of the venerable band’s greatest hits. His latest studio release, 2014’s The Sun Has Gone Hazy, found Kerslake collaborating with Company of Snakes singer Stefan Berggren.