Shred Pioneer Tony MacAlpine Cancels European Tour, May Have Intestinal Cancer

Were you stoked to see Tony McAlpine on his upcoming tours of Asia, Australia and Europe? Unfortunately you’re gonna have to wait, as the shred pioneer’s health has taken a turn for the worse.

MacAlpine’s situation seems dire: in August, he announced that doctors had discovered a large, potentially cancerous mass in his intestine, and that the resulting surgery to remove it — scheduled immediately — would force him to cancel his tour of Asia and Australia. Doctors estimated a one-month recovery period, and he hoped to be able to go on his European tour as planned:

Last week I was taken to the hospital with severe stomach pains.  Following blood work, multiple MRI scans and various procedures, medical doctors discovered a large mass in my intestine, and it seems likely that we are dealing with cancer. My doctors have advised me that this will need to be dealt with immediately, and I am scheduled for surgery this week.   Recovery from this surgery will take a month – right when I was scheduled to tour the Australasian region.

Providing all goes well,  it is our understanding I should be well enough to perform on the coming European tour.

Unfortunately Tony’s recovering doesn’t seem to be progressing as planned, and now the European run has to come down as well. Here’s the entirety of an update sent to his email list yesterday:

It is with regret that we announce the cancellation of Tony’s European tour which was slated for October/November.

Tony’s condition has not improved since the surgery to remove a tumor from his intestine, and he will need further treatment.

We are incredibly disappointed that the world tour dates are being postponed indefinitely, but Tony needs to focus completely on his recovery at this time.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out to provide words of love, encouragement and support to Tony. It’s deeply appreciated. We will post further updates soon.

While Tony has stopped short of saying “it’s cancer,” it seems pretty clear what’s going on at this point, especially in light of his first update. This news is incredibly saddening, and we wish Tony a speedy recovery from everyone here at the MetalSucks Mansion. Jam some of Tony’s best work below — spanning both ends of his 30+ year career — and send good vibes his way.