Feargal Sharkey, former singer of The Undertones, reveals prostate cancer diagnosis
Feargal Sharkey, environmental campaigner and former lead singer of punk band The Undertones, has revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year.
Speaking to the Daily Express, he said, “About a year and a half ago, I randomly went to see my GP with a sore throat. So my doctor, being the beautiful, wonderful, awkward, cantankerous old man that is went: ‘Oh Feargal, by the way, you’re 65 now, I’m going to run the full battery of tests.’”
The former musician revealed that it was “resolved a year ago”, and “if it had not been seen to, it could have been a very different ending and a very different outcome to my life.”
The 66-year-old urged men to get regular check-ups: “The reason I’m very happy to talk about it is that if there’s one man out there over the age of 45, go and see your GP. Go and get the blood test done.”
He expressed his relief at the quick recovery, and addressed the stark reality of the illness: “Now, for one in eight of you, you will be put in the same journey I’ve had and it’s quite astonishing to think that in this country right now, one in eight men have prostate cancer,” he said. “Most of them don’t even know it. So go and have the blood test and if you’re lucky, you’ll walk away.”
On May 18th, former US president Joe Biden was diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. In England, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer.
The Undertones were formed in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1976 and reformed in 1999, though Sharkey left the band in 1983 to pursue a solo career. Elvis Costello once cited The Undertones’ 1980 self-titled album as one of his favourite punk albums of all time.
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