Andrew Lloyd Webber treated for cancer

Andrew Lloyd Webber treated for cancer

It is reported that Andrew Lloyd Webber has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

According to a Lloyd Webber spokesman, "Andrew is now undergoing treatment and expects to be fully back at work before the end of the year."

It is thought that the disease was detected at an early stage, which offers excellent hope for a full and rapid recovery.

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men in Britain, with around 35,000 being diagnosed in the country annually, most being over 50 years of age. Of those, more than 10,000 - just over a third - die as a result of the disease every year.

Andrew Lloyd Webber, aged 61, is one of the most succesful composers of musical theatre, with several musicals that have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. His credits include "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", "Jesus Christ Superstar", "By Jeeves", "Evita", "Cats", "Starlight Express", "The Phantom of the Opera", "Aspects of Love", "Sunset Boulevard", "Whistle Down the Wind", "The Beautiful Game" and "The Woman in White". Hs latest musical Love Never Dies, a sequel to Phantom of the Opera, opens in the West End in March 2010.

In recent years Lloyd Webber has become popular on TV for casting West End leads in talent shows such as Any Dream Will Do, Oliver! and How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?

Andrew Lloyd Webber has also gained a number of honours, including seven Olivier Awards in the UK and seven Tony Awards in USA. He gained a knighthood in 1992, followed by a peerage from the British Government for services to Music.