Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted has revealed he has recently been declared “free and clear” after a battle against throat cancer.
Newsted succeeded the late Cliff Burton on bass for the metal icons in 1986, playing on many of their most successful records until walking away from the band in 2001.
During a recent appearance on the Let There Be Talk podcast, Newsted opened up for the first time in public about his diagnosis, confirming that doctors were able to catch it early and that he has now been declared cancer-free.
He told host Dean Delray that on May 8, it will be exactly one year since he “underwent a procedure for throat cancer.”
“And so they took a bunch of shit outta here and then they went in with lasers this way and took a bunch of shit out,” he explained (via Blabbermouth). “So the cavern inside my head is different than it was, but we got it early. And I got my ‘free and clear’ about three weeks ago. So I beat it.”
Outlining the effect the events have had on his life, Newsted continued: “I promised myself I was going to rest, and that was the first time I’ve done that in my life. I’m usually just on or off. And so I promised myself I was gonna take the gravity off and lay down for the right amount of hours.”
“And there’s no way, with my arrogant, spoiled ass that I would’ve stopped smoking weed, that I would’ve stopped drinking, that I would’ve stopped doing all the things. But the great spirit got my attention and said, ‘That’s not good right now, man.’ And so it pulled me off it. And so now I’m more clear-headed than I’ve been in my entire adult life. And so there’s blessings within everything. The lemonade I’m making this summer, bro — mm. Sweet. Ooh.”
In 2021, Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield admitted they “weren’t equipped” to deal with Newsted’s departure from the band in 2001. “Jason is the only member of Metallica who has ever left willingly,” Ulrich said. “And that in itself is a statistic. And the resentment from James and I was just so… You can’t do that. You can only leave if we want you to leave. And then we weren’t equipped at the time to do a deep dive into why he was leaving. So of course, now you can see 20 years later, it makes complete sense.”
Newsted had previously said that his sudden departure in 2001 “enabled” the band to continue.
“They would not be doing what they’re doing now if I hadn’t made that move then and I knew what was best for everybody at the time,” he said. “Whether I was prophetic and saw these things ahead of time, that I knew the inner rumblings, what would take place and what would unfold… I knew about people’s issues and stuff.”
Metallica are re-releasing their seventh album ‘Reload’ on June 26, featuring unreleased material and loads more. Find out more here. They have also announced a huge residency at the Las Vegas Sphere, which will run from October 2026 to March 2027.
Before heading to Las Vegas, Metallica will also embark on a UK and European tour later this year. This includes two nights at the London Stadium in July, following dates in Dublin, Glasgow and Cardiff. Find any remaining tickets here (UK and Ireland).
Metallica will also be heading to Connecticut for a special two-night stint at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, to mark the venue’s 25th anniversary. Taking place in November this year, Suicidal Tendencies will open for the band on the first night and Spiritbox supporting on the second.