Singer Candi Staton says she’s been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The 78-year-old said she received the news over the summer on the first day of rehearsals for her tour. She writes in a statement, “I decided to keep it to myself and do some soul searching. I went through all of the emotions: denial, poor me and anger.”
But she says that being on the road helped her.
Staton will begin 12 weeks of chemotherapy on Tuesday. She says she found a lump through self-check and she’s encouraging women, “including elderly women — to get a regular mammogram.”
The Grammy-nominated soul and gospel singer’s Top 40 hits include Young Hearts Run Free and a cover of Tammy Wynette’s Stand By Your Man. Staton released the album, Unstoppable, earlier this year.
