Veteran music producer Nile Rodgers has undergone surgery to treat an aggressive form of cancer.
The Le Freak hitmaker, 58, has recently taken an unexplained hiatus from music and he's now revealed the reason behind his decision.
In a blog on his website, he writes, "On October 27, 2010, I found out I had aggressive cancer. In an instant, everything in my happy-music universe imploded. After consulting with numerous doctors, I decided to have radical surgery to try and remove the cancer in its entirety.
"I told only a handful of people because I didn't want to worry anyone, especially my family around the holidays. I did everything as usual - as best I could - until one day I couldn't. My hand had sudden muscle loss and a number of stressful events followed.
"I've just returned home from the hospital and want to explain my recent disappearance to everybody and share my appreciation of life, music and people."
As WENN went to press, it was not known what form of the disease Rodgers is battling.