Rikki Rockett, the longtime drummer of glam rock band Poison, revealed he’s battling oral cancer.
On Monday, December 14, Rockett told Eddie Trunk during the SiriusXM show Eddie Trunk Live that he endured nine bouts of chemotherapy and seven weeks of radiation treatment after his summer diagnosis.
Rockett first learned of his ailment after growing sick in June, feeling like he had a sore throat and a cold.
Eventually, a doctor at USC discovered a tumor at the base of his tongue, similar, Rockett said, to actor Michael Douglas, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson and Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton.
“Where I’m at now is, I went last week for my follow-up,” Rikki Rockett shared to Us weekly.
“Both doctors said I’m doing excellent, and they both have excellent prognoses. In early February, I get my PET scan, and that’s the end-all. Rockett added.
Rockett also admitted that battling cancer has been the hardest thing he’s had to endure in his life.
"At the end of the day, it was really the worst thing that you can go through," Rockett said.
“I’ve had a decent life. We all go through our stuff. So for me, it was really just a battle that I had to get through, and I got to the point where I couldn’t really talk." the 54-year-old drummer revealed to Us weekly.
The musician, whose real name is Richard Allan Ream, was a founding member of Poison along with frontman Bret Michaels and bassist Bobby Dall, and has remained in the group since 1980.
The group Poison was known for such hits as “Talk Dirty to Me” and “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.”
Poison band was issued its most recent record, Poison'd!, in 2007. Since then, they have maintained a steady concert schedule.
Their last big outing, in 2013, was with Def Leppard and Lita Ford.
Rockett also plays with Devil City Angels, alongside members of L.A. Guns and Cinderella, and appeared on their recently released self-titled debut.
Rockett was always an integral part of Poison's success featuring on every Poison album ever released.
The tattoo photo featured on Poison's 1990 album Flesh and Blood is Rockett's right shoulder.
