Kansas Cancels Shows as Lead Singer Battles Cancer
Source: Ronnie Platt of Kansas performs on stage at Pechanga Resort Casino on Sept. 19, 2024 in Temecula, California. (Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)
Kansas, the classic rock band known for hits like Dust In the Wind and Carry On Wayward Son, has canceled a pair of shows after its lead singer was diagnosed with cancer. Singer Ronnie Platt revealed on Feb. 11 that he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, according to a statement on FaceBook.
“Before everyone gets all excited, it has a 99% survival rate [and] it has not spread,” Platt said in a FaceBook post. “It’s contained to my thyroid. I just have to have my thyroid removed. [I’ll] go through some rehab time and be right back in the saddle. I sincerely appreciate everyone’s positive thoughts and prayers. I have some absolutely amazing people going to bat for me! As it has been put to me, this is just a bump in the road and will be behind me very soon! So everyone please CARRY ON!”
In wake of the news, Kansas has decided to cancel to upcoming shows in Louisiana, including what was supposed to be Friday’s show in New Orleans. The March 1 show in Lake Charles was also canceled, in an effort to give Platt some time to recover while he goes through treatment.
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The 62-year-old frontman has been with Kansas since replacing the band’s longtime lead singer Steve Walsh in 2014. He sang lead vocals on Kansas’ previous two studio albums; 2016’s The Prelude Implicit and 2020’s The Absence of Presence.
Kansas is slated to co-headline a summer 2025 tour with 38 Special, set to kickoff on June 6, in Richmond, VA. The tour will stop in The Woodlands on July 19, at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, presented by Huntsman.
