Sad news has emerged out of the INXS camp: In an interview published yesterday (June 28), guitarist Kirk Pengilly reported that he recently underwent surgery for prostate cancer, which was described to him by his doctor as "very aggressive."

“We got the news the day before we flew to New Zealand for a 10-day wine and food extravaganza in February," Pengilly said. "It came in an email. I managed to get onto [the phone with my doctor] in the morning at the airport as we were leaving. I hadn’t spoken to him and he said, ‘Look, the only option is to remove the prostate.' So the whole time we were in New Zealand, every bottle of wine was my last hurrah, every meal was my last hurrah."

The good news is that the surgery was so successful that chemotherapy and radiation therapy are not necessary parts of the recovery process, although Pengilly does have 12 to 18 months of therapy ahead of him in order to regain all function.

Pengilly was a founding member of INXS when the group formed in 1977 as the Farriss Brothers. He was the singer of the band until the late Michael Hutchence joined. Hutchence committed suicide in 1997.

We  wish Pengilly the best of luck during his recovery.

INXS – "Need You Tonight" (Official Music Video)

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