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Steven Patrick Morrissey, the singer who formerly led The Smiths and is on a solo tour in Europe, has undergone treatment for cancer, he tells a Spanish newspaper. Morrissey did not specify what ailment he had been suffering from, saying only that he had undergone "cancer scrapings."


The singer, 55, was asked about his health in an interview for Spanish newspaper 

.
"I have had four cancer-scrapings, but so what. If I die, I die," he wrote in the email interview, according to a translation by 

. "If I don't, then I don't. As I sit here today I feel very well."


In June, more than a dozen dates on Morrissey's recent U.S. tour were canceled because of the singer's health problems.

 journalist Javier Blanquez that he understood concerns that have been raised about his appearance, as fans worried over his health:


"I know I look quite bad on recent photographs, but I am afraid this is what illness does to the overall countenance. I will save relaxation for when I'm dead."


In the interview, Morrissey spoke about the novel that he's writing (he published another book, 

, last year). And while he didn't dwell on the ramifications of his cancer treatment, he did take a question about his reputation for being a very self-sufficient person. Here's what he said:


When asked if he found anyone particularly odious and useless in the world, Morrissey said, "I do not hate people, I am a loving and sensible man, but I cannot stand David and Victoria Beckham."


He said that the "tragic importance" that's been given to that couple's lives by the British media "has converted us into a nation of zombies."  Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Arts and Culture

In June, more than a dozen dates on Morrisey's recent U.S. tour were canceled over his health.

Singer Morrisey says he has had cancer treatment

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