Ronnie Platt Reveals Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis

Kansas frontman Ronnie Platt revealed on Saturday (Feb. 15) that he’s been diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

He took to his social media, writing, “For all of you asking, Tuesday [February 11] I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer but before everyone gets all excited, it has a 99% survival rate, it has not spread. It’s contained to my thyroid. I just have to have my thyroid removed. Go through some rehab time and be right back in the saddle.”

Platt concluded by asking fans for “positive thoughts and prayers,” adding, “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!”

The vocalist took over as lead singer of Kansas back in 2014, replacing Steve Walsh. He appeared on the group’s last two albums, 2016’s The Prelude Implicit and 2020’s The Absence of Presence.

Kansas celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2023. In a Billboard interview, drummer Phil Ehart opened up about the group’s changing members over the years. “There’s a small paragraph on the cover of our first album that says, ‘Kansas is a band.’ It’s not Kansas featuring somebody or certain people. When Kansas plays, it sounds like Kansas,” he explained. “If there’s a bit of rotating of members under the moniker of Kansas, then so be it. So this time Kansas is going to be Steve Morse playing guitar — boy, what a great addition he was. Or David Ragsdale on violin. Or Ronnie Platt coming in, or Billy Greer on bass. There has been a lot of different people coming and going, but it’s all under the auspices of the band. We go out and do what we do best, which is write and play Kansas music.”

Read the full interview here.