“I am a Tough Old Son-of-a-B****”: Beloved ‘Evil Dead’ Star Reveals Health Diagnosis
Horror icon Bruce Campbell has announced that he has been diagnosed with cancer. Campbell, who has entertained (and scared) audiences for decades through his work onscreen, took to social media on Monday to reveal the diagnosis.
While the Evil Dead star did not reveal what type of cancer he has, he called his case “‘treatable’ not ‘curable'”, and revealed that he has already had to cancel a few public appearances while it is treated.
“Hi folks, these days, when someone is having a health issue, it’s referred to as an ‘opportunity,’ so let’s go with that – I’m having one of those,” Campbell’s post begins. “It’s also called a type of cancer that’s ‘treatable’ not ‘curable.’ I apologize if that’s a shock – it was to me too. The good news is, I’m not gonna go into any more detail. I’m posting this, because professionally, a few things will have to change – appearances and cons and work in general need to take back seat to treatment. My plan is to get as well as I possibly can over the summer so that I can tour with my new movie Ernie & Emma this fall.”
“There are several cons this year summer that I have to cancel,” Campbell continued. “Big regrets on my part. Treatment needs and professional obligations don’t always go hand-in-hand. That’s about it. I’m not trying enlist sympathy – or advice – I just want to get ahead of this information in case false information gets out (which it will). Fear not, I am a tough old son-of-a-bitch and I have great support, so I expect to be around a while.”
Born in Royal Oak, Michigan on June 22, 1958, Campbell got into acting after making Super 8 movies with his high school friend, Sam Raimi. Making his onscreen debut as Ash Williams in 1981’s Evil Dead, Campbell has since reprised his role in a number of the franchise’s sequels and spinoffs.
Hail to the King, Baby!
Campbell has had a prolific career in movies, cameoing throughout Raimi’s onscreen work, including the Spider-Man trilogy, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and most recently in this year’s Send Help. His other cinematic outings have included Sky High, Cars 2, Escape From L.A., Congo, and playing a fictionalized version of himself in My Name Is Bruce.
“I feel that I have the right to insult them because I do meet them, I do go and shake their hands and sign their stuff,” Campbell said of his fans in an interview with JoBlo. “You know, if I was living behind some ivory tower and never going out, I don’t think I could behave that way because, you know, I’ve done my time in lines and signing stuff that I think I can do that. Because you hear all the stuff that fans tell you and you see their perception, so part of this is just tweaking that because they shouldn’t be having these perceptions of me. Nobody should have false perceptions of any actor. I mean, they’re not special ANYTHING, most actors can’t do anything. Which means they fake it, so they’re actors. You know, we’re not really a cowboy, but I can play a cowboy. But I’m not really a cowboy. It’s important that we don’t put people up on pedestals, and I’m sure there is some underlying Freudian thing that will be deep within the bowels of this movie.”
On television, his notable roles have included the titular character on The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Jack Stiles on Jack of All Trades, Sam Axe on Burn Notice, and Autolycus, the King of Thieves on both Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. When not appearing onscreen, Campbell has also written a number of books, with titles like If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor, Hail to the Chin: Further Confessions of a B Movie Actor, and The Cool Side of My Pillow: A Book of Essays. In 2022, he also penned the DC miniseries DC Horror Presents: Sgt. Rock vs. The Army of the Dead.
Our thoughts are with Campbell during this time.
(featured image: Starz)
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
