PRETTY MAIDS Singer RONNIE ATKINS Is 'Still Positive And In Good Spirit' Four Months After Lung Cancer Diagnosis

PRETTY MAIDS singer Ronnie Atkins says that he is still undergoing radiation and chemotherapy four months after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

"At the end of this month I'll be done with some 33 radiation treatments and a few days later I'll receive my 4th and hopefully last series of chemo therapy," he wrote in a December 20 post on his official Facebook page. "During all this I've had no midway results nor status on what kind of effect the treatments have had on my cancer and I won't get any conclusion from the medical staff on what my situation is untill sometime in January where they can judge the full impact of the treatments.

"What I can tell you is that both the chemo and radio therapy has been rather merciful to me compared to what I had expected and feared. Of course there's been and still are side effects, but in generel I'm in both good physical and mental shape. So despite everything I'm still positive and in good spirit, and I can't wait to return to the stage and do what I love the most again in 2020.

"Finally and once again Let me express my sincere thanx to all of you out there who's been faithfully supporting me and constantly been cheering me up in all this. I'm forever thankfull"

The Danish musician broke the news of his diagnosis in October via the band's Facebook page.

He wrote in an open letter to the PRETTY MAIDS fans that his illness "came totally unexpected without any typical symptoms."

All of PRETTY MAIDS' previously announced shows were canceled and all of the group's plans were put "on hold" while Ronnie is undergoing treatment.

Formed in early 1982 by Atkins and guitarist Ken Hammer, PRETTY MAIDS quickly established itself as a band to be taken seriously. In April 1987, "Future World", the band's third album recorded in the USA, was released to great acclaim and is still today regarded as a "classic."

After the release of the follow-up album "Jump The Gun" (produced by DEEP PURPLE's Roger Glover),PRETTY MAIDS in 1991 were on the verge of a breakup. However, Hammer and Atkins found a new rhythm section and in 1992 released the "Sin - Decade", a record that would reveal that PRETTY MAIDS was still a force to be reckoned with, despite the fact that the metal scene now was overrun by the grunge movement. "Sin - Decade" became a huge success in Japan and gave the band a big radio hit with the single "Please Don't Leave Me", laying the foundation for the band in the East that would last for the next decade.

During the ensuing years, PRETTY MAIDS continued to release albums usually followed by European and Japanese tours.

In a 2013 interview with Myglobalmind, Atkins joked that the secret to keeping his voice in shape was "twenty cigarettes a day and little drink now and then."

PRETTY MAIDS' latest album, "Undress Your Madness", was released in November via Frontiers Music Srl.