Saga frontman, Michael Sadler, has been diagnosed with "a highly aggressive form of muscle invasive cancer," and will undergo surgery today (Thursday, September 12). Sadler's wife, Gwen, shared the bad news via social media last night.

Gwen's post states:

"Dear All,

Michael has asked me to share some important personal news with you.

On September 5th, during a meeting with his doctor, Michael was informed that his diagnostic test results confirmed a highly agressive form of muscle invasive cancer. It is a rare type that occurs in only 3-5 % of the cases.

To protect his life, his doctor will be performing an urgent, high risk,  multi-organ, open surgical procedure tomorrow, September 12th.  

Due to how fast this has all developed, we regret to say that most of our extended family, close friends and partners have not heard from us directly yet. We are sorry that you have to hear about this on social media but we have no control over the timing of everything.

Michael is, as you can imagine, very anxious but also feeling guilty about being sick and not being able to handle his work.
Especially right now, with the band and the upcoming shows in October, he is keenly aware of the expectations and wants to make sure he is well and ready.

All we can do at the moment is to keep him distracted, reassure him and help him stay in a positive frame of mind during this difficult time. He is expected to be in the hospital for a couple of weeks, with a shorter stay ideally.

Michael and our family are deeply aware that he is just one of many worldwide currently facing this terrible disease and more. In fact, we have near and dear members of both families dealing with their own battles with cancer and other equally devastating diseases.

We have much to learn in the coming days and are truly humbled and grateful to our families,  the  band and crew, our dear friends and all who've been so supportive, and kind to us during this time.

I will do my best to share updates about Michael whenever possible.  To reduce his stress, we kindly request that  you refrain from sending Michael direct messages at this time.

Thank you all so much for your support and understanding.

With our warmest regards, Gwen Sadler."