The cellist Julian Lloyd Webber has revealed that he will shortly receive treatment for prostate cancer and he is expected to make a full recovery.
The musician, who is the brother of the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, celebrated his 75th birthday on Tuesday with a charity gala concert at Wigmore Hall.
Lloyd Webber returned to the concert platform for the first time in 12 years, after a herniated disc had forced him to give up performing.
The brothers at the Royal Academy of Arts in 2012Dave M Benett/Getty Images
He said: “I did not want to let anyone down so I kept my diagnosis secret until after my birthday concert, but now I need to begin treatment as soon as possible. I am encouraged by the expectations of the medical team and look forward to making a full recovery.
“I am not intending to cancel engagements and I won’t comment any further on this matter until after the treatment.”
Read extracts from Julian Lloyd Webber’s new memoir
Lloyd Webber had thought he would never play again after he suffered a herniated disc caused by the repeated bowing action of his right arm in 2014.
“It was a frightening moment, because I’d been playing for years, and nothing like that had ever happened to me. I felt I could no longer hold the bow,” he told The Sunday Times in an 2018 interview.
Performing at his brother’s 60th birthday concert in Hyde Park, 2008Simon James/WireImage
Lloyd Webber was warned that an operation on the herniated disc could result in paralysis, and the injury was so severe he sold his Stradivarius, assuming he would never play again.
Speaking before his return to the stage, he told the Observer: “I began just playing scales a few weeks ago. I tried a whole piece, but quickly realised it was not going to work. I had to build up to it. So I did 15 minutes, then half an hour. Then I managed an hour. Now I can’t wait for the concert. I just hope I can do it.”
With his wife, Jiaxin Cheng, also a cellistMax Cisotti/Dave Benett/WireImage
Lloyd Webber, who performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, won a Brit Award for his recording of Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto.
He was made an OBE in 2021 for services to music.