We have some difficult news late this Friday night. Mike Dirnt, the bassist for Green Day, has disclosed that his wife Brittney has breast cancer.

He broke the news earlier this evening on the band's Facebook page. He posted the above picture of the two of them, and underneath it read the following:

Dear Green Day Family,

Recently my wife Brittney was diagnosed with breast cancer.

We have started our battle and she is enduring treatment as we speak! We want you to know that Brittney (Batmansmom) is strong and with the help of Amazing doctors, support from family, and positive thoughts/prayers from our Green Day family, SHE WILL BEAT THIS!

This is going to be a challenging year, but we are determined to get though this as quickly and openly as possible.

We love you all, and we will be checking in as best as we can, via Instagram: @batmansmom @mike_dossxx and www.GreenDay.com.

For all the difficulty that such an illness brings on a family, especially such a young one, Dirnt appears to be -- at least publicly -- taking the news with some of his band's trademark irreverence. A few hours later, he posted another picture, this time of his three-year old daughter, Ryan, playing with Brittney's hair with the caption, "Let Ryan style it while ya got it! #ifBrittneyHasToShaveHerHeadDoYouThinkIShouldshaveMineToo!"

We join Green Day fans all around the world in sending our thoughts and prayers to the Dirnt family.

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