Rage Against The Machine’s Tim Cummerford Reveals Cancer Diagnosis

In a newly published interview with Spin Magazine Tim Cummerford of Rage Against The Machine has revealed that he’s been privately battling prostate cancer for some time now. While it’s not been disclosed when Cummerford was diagnosed, Cummerford mentions he’s been undergoing treatment for the last six months and apart from disclosing it to his bandmates he’d kept it private throughout the entirety of Rage Against The Machine’s recent North American reunion tour.

“I’ve been dealing with some pretty serious s**t,” Commerford comments. “Right before I was about to go on tour with Rage, I had my prostate removed, and I have prostate cancer. I’ve been someone that’s taken a lot of pride in being in shape and taking care of myself. But it’s something where either you’re either lucky or not.”

Throughout the interview Cummerford details the emotional and physical toll the cancer diagnosis has taken on him, as well as discussing why he chose to disclose his diagnosis publicly.

“You can find yourself in a situation like I’m in where it’s like, f**k, my whole life changed. With everything that happens to me now, I wonder, am I feeling this way because I have cancer? Am I losing my hair because I have cancer? Whatever it is, it makes me wonder if it’s happening because I have cancer. And prostate cancer is a very, very, very tough one because it’s connected to your sexuality. It’s hard to disconnect from that and when you’re forced into that situation, it’s a brutal psychological journey.

I’ve been trying to find support groups, and it’s hard to find people and hard to talk about it. The suffering part of it, the physical suffering after the surgery, I’ve never felt pain quite like that. I have metal plates in my head and cadaver parts in my body. I’ve done a lot of damage through sports and mountain biking and this sort of thing and I’ve always felt like I had a really high tolerance for pain, and that shit brought me to my knees. After the pain went away, I still haven’t really been able to get up, even though I’m working out and doing shit, but psychologically, the damage is severe. It’s very hard for me to not break down and get emotional.”

During the interview Cummerford makes a point to address his initial reluctancy to speak to the interviewer about his illness, but he then describes the instance that helped him decide it was the right time to talk about it.

“I wasn’t planning on going here with you until last night. I’ve been struggling and it’s hard. It might not sound like much, but to get through a conversation and not choke up and get emotional is a win for me. It’s a little victory. But then over the last 24 hours, I’ve been thinking about it more, and a weird thing happened. I was with my girlfriend and we were watching the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony on TV. Duran Duran was on and I was like, ‘Ah, f**k, I used to learn those songs when I was a kid. I saw them on stage and wondered, where’s Andy Taylor and why do they have this other guy in here?! Then it was like, ‘Andy Taylor is suffering from stage four prostate cancer and is unable to make it.’ My life is sort of like that. There are a lot of people who have it. There are a lot of people who are like, ‘Where do you go?’ You can’t talk to a therapist. You can only really talk to someone who’s going through it.

I just got my six-month test, and it came back at zero. I was like, ‘F**k yeah!’ That’s the best I can feel for the rest of my life. Every day I get closer to that test is like, ‘F**k man, is this going to be the time when the number is going to go up and I’m going to the next thing, whatever that is?’ I already went through some pain and s**t. And I’m continuing to go through like, some crazy shit.”

The courage it takes to speak about any type of serious illness cannot be understated, and Cummerford should absolutely be commended for his perseverance and willingness to speak about this matter. While it’s unclear the state of Cummerford’s diagnosis, his mindset and spirit are a true powerhouse.

“When I got my physical, my doctor said I was in the best shape of any 50-year-old he’d ever seen there. There’s plenty of people that are in great shape that have cancer. And I’m hoping to continue as long as I can be that. I work out religiously, and I try my hardest to stay in shape. I’m still very proud of who I am. When I first got diagnosed, it f**ked with me on that level. But now I’m starting to feel this level of, ‘I’m going to be the fittest motherf**ker with cancer that’s 54 that you’ve ever f**king seen in your life.”