Green Day's Jason White diagnosed with cancer

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Green Day's guitarist and backing vocalist Jason White has been diagnosed with tonsil cancer, the band announced.

"We have some news to report regarding our brother Jason White, and wanted you to hear it from us before word spread. Jason recently underwent a routine tonsillectomy, and his doctors discovered a treatable form of tonsil cancer," the band wrote in a Friday press release. "Thankfully, they caught it early, and he should make a full and speedy recovery."

The American punk rock band was formed in 1987, but White joined them in 1999 as a touring guitarist. He became a full time member in 2012.

Green Day released its ninth, 10th and 11th studio albums ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tre! in 2012 and is nominated to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.