BBC legend and musician battling prostate cancer after keeping diagnosis secret
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s famous brother Julian has revealed he is fighting prostate cancer, and the cellist said he kept it a secret as he “did not want to let anyone down”
Julian Lloyd Webber is undergoing treatment for prostate cancer(Image: Getty)
Cellist Julian Lloyd-Webber has announced he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s famous brother has revealed that he is undergoing treatment for the cancer and is looking forward to “making a full recovery”. He’s admitted he initially kept the cancer diagnosis secret as he “did not want to let anyone down”.
The musician celebrated his 75th birthday on Tuesday (April 14) and returned to the concert stage the same day. He played at his birthday charity gala concert at Wigmore Hall in London; the first time he had taken to the stage in 12 years after an absence due to injury.
In a statement he shared: “I did not want to let anyone down, so I kept my diagnosis secret until after my birthday concert, but now I need to begin treatment as soon as possible.
“I am encouraged by the expectations of the medical team and look forward to making a full recovery. I am not intending to cancel engagements and I won’t comment any further on this matter until after the treatment.”
Julian had stopped performing after suffering from a herniated disc caused by the repeated bowing action of his right arm. The injury was so severe he sold his beloved Stradivarius as he believed that he would never be able to play it on stage again.
However, he recovered much better than expected. He confirmed last year that he was learning to play again with hopes of performing in public once more.
Julian told the Observer: “I began just playing scales a few weeks ago. I tried a whole piece, but quickly realised it was not going to work. I had to build up to it.
“So I did 15 minutes, then half an hour. Then I managed an hour. Now I can’t wait for the concert. I just hope I can do it.”
The star, who was principal of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, is a highly renowned cellist who has enjoyed an impressive musical career. He was made an OBE in 2021 for services to music.
He performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics and won a BRIT Award for his recording of Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto. He has also scripted and presented shows for the BBC and Classic FM – and appeared on several BBC programmes such as Question TIme and Newsnight as an ambassador for tha arts sector.
He has worked together with his brother, Andrew, on several projects, especially recordings where Julian performed Andrew’s compositions arranged for cello. Both were heavily influenced by their father, William Lloyd Webber, which gave them a strong shared musical foundation.
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