He says in a statement: "Like a lot of guys, my life is paved with good intentions. My dear friend Ian Wallace, who played drums for so many famous names said to us all before he died, 'Get checked out before it's too late.' And of course, true to form, I did absolutely nothing.

"Fast forward to last year when another old pal, drummer Kenney Jones asked me join him in a charity event called Rock 'N' Horse Power benefiting Prostate Cancer UK. I said yes and then realised Kenney was in treatment at the time for the disease. Happily he is recovering very well. But did I get checked? Not likely."