Michael Bluestein, the keyboard player for Foreigner since 2008, has been diagnosed with colon cancer and will be taking an indefinite break from the group while he is treated.
Bluestein had the following message posted on the boards at Foreigner's official website:
I recently went to the hospital following some symptoms, and it was discovered that I have Colorectal cancer. This has required me to take a leave of absence from the band for a significant period. The good news is that I caught this early enough so that through chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, I will be able to treat this and return to normal life after it’s over. And of course normal life for me includes rocking with Foreigner!! I want all the dear fans to know that your support means everything to me, and that I will sorely miss performing for you while I focus on my health. I am so proud to be involved with such world class musicians playing such incredible songs, so just know I am working very hard to get better so I can be back out there once again as soon as possible!
Meanwhile I have started a blog that I will be updating regularly to keep everyone in the loop. It is located at http://rectifyin.tumblr.com. You can sign up if you’d like, and you will be notified whenever I make a new update. I’m planning on updating it roughly once a week.
On his Tumblr blog, he says that he has adopted a mostly vegetarian diet and will be starting chemo and radiation in about a week.
Bluestein is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston and spent ten years in San Francisco playing mostly jazz music, including making three albums. He moved to Los Angeles in 2003 and toured with Boz Scaggs, Anastacia, Enrique Iglesias and Roger Hodgson before going full time with Foreigner.
