Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell has revealed he has been diagnosed with a “‘treatable’ not ‘curable’” cancer, and will be withdrawing from work while he receives treatment.
The 67-year-old horror icon shared the news in a statement on social media on Monday night, writing to fans: “I’m sorry if that’s a shock – it was to me too.”
Campbell, who often appears at fan conventions around the world, said he was making the news public now because he will need to cancel several upcoming public appearances in order to receive treatment.
“The good news is, I’m not going to go into any more detail. I’m posting this, because professionally, a few things will have to change – appearances and cons and work in general need to take [a] back seat to treatment,” he wrote.
“There are several cons this year summer [sic] that I have to cancel. Big regrets on my part. Treatment needs and professional obligations don’t always go hand-in-hand.
“That’s about it. I’m not trying to enlist sympathy – or advice – I just want to get ahead of this information in case false information gets out (which it will). Fear not, I am a tough old son-of-a-bitch and I have great support, so I expect to be around a while. As always, you’re the greatest fans in the world and I hope to see you soon!”
Campbell is best known for his breakout performance as Ash Williams in the 1981 low-budget horror classic The Evil Dead, directed by his friend from high school Sam Raimi. Campbell continued to portray the chainsaw-wielding, wise-cracking hero in the progressively more comedic sequels 1987’s Evil Dead II and 1992’s Army of Darkness. He also played Ash in three seasons of the television series Ash vs Evil Dead between 2015 and 2018.
Campbell has also appeared in Raimi’s Spider-Man films and several Coen Brothers films including Fargo and The Hudsucker Proxy, played Elvis in the cult horror-comedy Bubba Ho-Tep, and voiced characters in Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs and Cars 2. He most recently appeared in Raimi’s latest horror film, Send Help.
