JASON NEWSTED Reveals How He Was Diagnosed With Throat Cancer

Former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted has opened up about his recent throat cancer diagnosis and recovery, sharing detailed insight into how the condition was discovered and how it has reshaped his perspective on life and health.

Speaking on the latest episode of Dean Delray’s Let There Be Talk podcast, Newsted discussed the early signs that eventually led to his diagnosis, explaining that the symptoms were subtle and easy to overlook.

“I didn’t feel any different [before being diagnosed]. I had a little bit of an earache and a jaw ache. And my singing was being affected a tad bit,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).

“In February of last year, I was [hosting] my brother and his wife [at my home] here in Florida. They were visiting. And I felt [a lump on my neck], and then [my wife Nicole’s] sitting next to me and she goes, ‘What is that?’ And I go, ‘Um, hmm.’ So I went in next week, got everything checked out. The doctor calls and says — instead of just telling you what’s up, he says, ‘You need to come in.’ That’s not good. And so I went in, and he dropped it. And I’m, like, ‘Who are you talking to? What, what, what? [I’m] Superman. F**k you. There’s no way, man. S**t bounces off me. What are you talking about? That’s not how it is.’ I expected [something like that to happen] maybe 20 years from now or something. But then I started thinking about it. And our accelerated lifestyle [when I was still in METALLICA]. And what we were talking about before, with the big tours, you’re doing a couple of hundred 20 shows a year for a few years in a row, these type of things.

“Those touring years are dog years,” he continued. “Those are four or five into one, really, if you put the math down and the taxing on your cells and three flights a day and ‘expand, contract’ however many times. That kind of s**t, it’ll get you. So I was trying to reason — of course you’re always trying to f**king reason, like, ‘What’s that [about]?’ And I go, ‘Wait a minute. What about my boy, my boy, my boy, my boy, my boy, my boy?’ — all across, all our comrades. No needs to name drop. All those [other musicians] that are [at the same level or higher], homie hit it way harder than I ever would’ve hit it. He’s still f**king smoking. What? Me? Wait a second, man. What the f**k?’ And then they told me what it was, and they’re very easy to define. And that’s my advantage in this.”

Newsted also described how medical testing quickly confirmed the issue without invasive procedures, something he credits as a major advantage in his case.

He said: “There’s 550 cancers that we deal with — there’s more than that, but it’s about how many that we deal with and a couple hundred that are really prevalent and a few that we can identify immediately and there doesn’t need to be any kind of biopsy, invasive anything. They can just tell from a blood test, this type of stuff. That’s what happened for me, fortunately. So they were able to tell just from that without any more trouble. But there’s no telling when it’s going to come. And I wanna be an advocate, of course, for everyone in awareness and things like that. It can happen to anybody.”

He went on to discuss the broader medical understanding of HPV-related cancers, noting how widespread the virus is and how it can remain dormant for years before appearing later in life: “In our circles, from the ’80s, ’90s and up till now, the circles that you and I ran in and the circles that all our boys and our friends ran in, the human papillomavirus, HPV, has been in the humans for maybe a half a million years. And so we’ve been dealing with it at different levels at different times, but all of us, 100% of us, have been exposed to it, especially those of us that ran in rock circles and s**t like that. You can get it from [metal exposure], you can get it off a glass. It’s more unlikely, but it is possible. Usually your body just takes it in your immune system and you s**t it out, and you’re done. But it also can go dormant for a while, and then come back and it shows up. That’s what happened to me. So it’s from activity over years when you’re doing those kind of things. And [IRON MAIDEN‘s] Bruce Dickinson, [MEGADETH‘s Dave] Mustaine, [SOCIAL DISTORTION‘s] Mike Ness, that whole goddamn bunch of us from that same bus have had it over the last 10 years. It’s the most prevalent cancer now for males over 40. So 70% of the things that are being reported right now is this tonsil-and-throat thing, back-of-the-tongue type of thing from HPV. So, females have been able to identify it for many decades — in a Pap smear, they can identify it. For only the last couple of years have we been able to identify it in males. We wouldn’t have known if we were passing it on to our partners, ’cause we certainly wouldn’t have if we knew, but there was no way for us to ever f**king know. Now they have a vaccine. Now you could be 12 to 45 years old to get a vaccine to protect you from it. I suggest everybody that has any kids, especially girls, get that, because in the boys, it goes [to the throat area], and the girls, it’s cervix. And so you just wanna make sure that if you can protect your kids, be aware of it. And that’s all I’m gonna say about that right there.”

Newsted also explained why he chose to speak publicly about his diagnosis now, aligning the announcement with the rollout of upcoming live shows with his THE CHOPHOUSE BAND.

As he revealed, the timeline of his treatment stretches back over a year, with surgery ultimately leading to a successful outcome.

“I decided that this week, as I’m beginning to roll out the promotion for the shows and stuff and let everybody know I’m gonna be back around, and you already know it — you’re, probably, in the 24 people that I told. So, let’s see — in one week, it’s gonna be a year. So one week from today, it’ll be a year. May 8th of 2025, I underwent a procedure for throat cancer. And so they took a bunch of s**t outta here and then they went in with lasers this way and took a bunch of s**t out. So the cavern inside my head is different than it was, but we got it early. And I got my ‘free and clear’ about three weeks ago. So I beat it.”

“I promised myself I was going to rest, and that was the first time I’ve done that in my life. I’m usually just on or off,” Jason added. “And so I promised myself I was gonna take the gravity off and lay down for the right amount of hours. And there’s no way, with my arrogant, spoiled ass that I would’ve stopped smoking weed, that I would’ve stopped drinking, that I would’ve stopped doing all the things. But the great spirit got my attention and said, ‘That’s not good right now, man.’ And so it pulled me off it. And so now I’m more clear-headed than I’ve been in my entire adult life. And so there’s blessings within everything. The lemonade I’m making this summer, bro — mm. Sweet. Ooh.”

Last month, Newsted announced his first-ever North American headlining tour with THE CHOPHOUSE BAND.

The 18-date run will kick off on July 1 in Northampton, Massachusetts at Iron Horse Music Hall and will travel across the South, Midwest, and East Coast before wrapping up with a two-night finale at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee on July 24–25. Along the way, the band will also make stops in cities including Albany, Alexandria, Grand Rapids, Knoxville, and more. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 24 at 10 a.m. local time.

In addition to their headlining shows, JASON NEWSTED & THE CHOPHOUSE BAND will also join forces with iconic Atlanta country rock outfit BLACKBERRY SMOKE for 10 performances throughout July.

Since 1992, THE CHOPHOUSE BAND has surfaced periodically for select benefit appearances and charity events, supporting causes such as veterans’ relief, animal rehabilitation, and youth music and arts education programs.

The 2026 lineup features Newsted alongside Jesse Farnsworth (guitar, vocals), Jimbo Hart (bass, vocals), Humberto Perez (guitar), and Robert John-Tucker (drums, vocals), continuing the band’s evolving blend of roots-driven and hard-edged music.

“We’re fired up to finally take this to the people, and it’s an honor to head out on the road with the BLACKBERRY crew for our first proper run,” said Newsted. “BLACKBERRY SMOKE has built a loyal following that knows and enjoys good music.

“We’ll be performing THE CHOPHOUSE BAND originals and selections from a few of our heroes. Even at places like the Ryman, we will play some acoustic-based tunes, but throughout the set it is guaranteed to get heavy!”

JASON NEWSTED & THE CHOPHOUSE BAND – 2026 North American Tour Dates

July 01 – Northampton, MA – Iron Horse Music Hall
July 02 – Albany, NY – Empire Underground
July 03 – Lititz, PA – Mickey’s Black Box
July 05 – Wayne, PA – 118 North
July 06 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere
July 09 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater*
July 10 – Durham, NC – Durham Performing Arts Center*
July 11 – Charlotte, NC – Ovens Auditorium*
July 12 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall
July 15 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark*
July 16 – Utica, NY – Saranac Brewery*
July 17 – Farmington, PA – Timber Rock Amphitheater*
July 18 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall*
July 20 – Grand Rapids, MI – Pyramid Scheme
July 21 – Newport, KY – Southgate House Revival
July 22 – Knoxville, TN – Open Chord
July 24 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium*
July 25 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium*

* Supporting BLACKBERRY SMOKE