LOS ANGELES: American rock musician Phil Lesh, a founding member of influential band the Grateful Dead, has been diagnosed with non-aggressive bladder cancer and has cancelled a pair of October concerts, he said in a statement late on October 16.

Lesh, who plays with the band Phil Lesh & Friends, in a statement on the website of his San Rafael, California-based music venue Terrapin Crossroads, said he received the diagnosis early this month and has since received treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“I am very fortunate to have the pathology reports show that the tumours are all non-aggressive, and that there is no indication that they have spread,” Lesh said in the statement.

“So thanks to my local doctor Cliff Sewell and the incredible team at the Mayo Clinic, all is well and I can return to normal activities in two weeks from my surgery.”

He said that due to his illness he was cancelling a pair of Phil Lesh & Friends shows slated for October 25 and 26 at Terrapin Crossroads, which were going to feature Chris Robinson from defunct group the Black Crowes. The California-born Lesh in 1965 was a founding member of the Grateful Dead, which has been one of the most influential bands in rock music history with legions of ‘Deadhead’ fans who often went from town to town following the band on tour.