Kansas frontman Ronnie Platt announced on February 15 that he has thyroid cancer.
“For all of you asking, Tuesday I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer but before everyone gets all excited, it has a 99% survival rate, it has not spread,” the singer shared on Facebook. “It’s contained to my thyroid. I just have to have my thyroid removed.”
He went on to say, “Go through some rehab time and be right back in the saddle. I sincerely appreciate everyone’s positive thoughts and prayers.”
“I have some absolutely amazing people going to bat for me!! as it has been put to me, this is just a bump in the road and will be behind me very soon! So everyone please CARRY ON!” Platt added.
Platt became Kansas’ lead singer in 2014, replacing Steve Walsh. He has toured with the band for 10 years and sang on their last two albums, ‘The Prelude Implicit’ (2016) and ‘The Absence of Presence’ (2020). Before joining Kansas, he was a truck driver and a member of Shooting Star.
In a 2024 interview with Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Platt talked about how he got the Kansas gig, explaining, “It’s such a wild story. I’ve been telling it for 10 years, and it’s still surreal to me. One day, while I was at work — I used to be a truck driver — I received a text message from a friend of mine, Dina, who knew what a fan I was of Kansas.”
He continued, “I reached out to Rich Williams [the original guitar player for Kansas] on Facebook to ask him if they would consider me.” The vocalist shared Williams’ response, saying, “The very next day, I get a message from him saying, ‘We’re about to go on stage in Houston, Texas. If you get this in the next 90 minutes, give me a call.'”
Kansas canceled two shows: February 21 in New Orleans and March 1 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. They still plan to play a cruise in mid-March and have over 20 US tour dates from April to November.
