Former DIO And WHITESNAKE Guitarist DOUG ALDRICH Diagnosed With Throat Cancer

Former WHITESNAKE and DIO and current THE DEAD DAISIES guitarist Doug Aldrich has been diagnosed with a treatable throat cancer and will undergo surgery this week. As a result, he will not be able to take part in THE DEAD DAISIES' upcoming European tour and will be temporarily replaced by Reb Beach (WHITESNAKE, WINGER).

Earlier today, THE DEAD DAISIES released the following statement via social media: "Hi, to all DAISIES fans. We have some crappy news we'd like to share… Unfortunately Doug has been diagnosed with a treatable throat cancer and has to undergo surgery this week. Moving forward, Doug will not be available for the next run and subsequently long-time good friend & band mate from the WHITESNAKE days, Reb Beach, will be filling in for the upcoming European dates. Please join us in wishing Doug all the best for a speedy recovery. We look forward to having him back on deck really soon. We'll keep you posted!"

Last year, Aldrich confirmed that a previously unreleased Ronnie James Dio song which he was working on with the legendary heavy metal singer before his 2010 death will be included on an upcoming Dio collection of never-before-heard and obscure recordings. The track in question was written during the sessions for DIO's "Magica II", a sequel to 2000's "Magica" that was left unfinished when Ronnie died in 2010. Another "Magica II" track titled "Electra" made it on to 2012's "The Very Best of Dio Vol 2".

Aldrich was a member of WHITESNAKE from 2002 to 2014 before leaving to spend more time with his family. The guitarist played on two WHITESNAKE studio albums, 2008's "Good To Be Bad" and 2011's "Forevermore", and appeared on several live releases, including 2013's "Made In Japan" and "Made In Britain/The World Records".

Aldrich left WHITESNAKE 10 years ago, saying in a statement that he "had several recording and live commitments," so he "needed a more flexible schedule to conclude these before going full force as normal." He added: "Unfortunately, my schedule was not workable."

Having also played with LION, HOUSE OF LORDS, BAD MOON RISING, HURRICANE and Glenn Hughes, Aldrich joined THE DEAD DAISIES in 2016 and can be heard on that band's last five albums, 2016's "Make Some Noise", 2018's "Burn It Down", 2021's "Holy Ground", 2022's "Radiance" and 2024's "Light 'Em Up".