Composer Webber diagnosed with cancer

LONDON, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his spokesman said in a statement.

The unidentified spokesman confirmed Webber, known for works such as "Jesus Chris Superstar" and "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat," is being treated for cancer, the BBC reported Sunday.

"Andrew is now undergoing treatment and expects to be fully back at work before the end of the year," the spokesman said.

Webber, 61, is to open his new musical "Love Never Dies," a sequel to "The Phantom of the Opera," in February.

The BBC said the famed composer also is to take part in a BBC talent show in 2010 aimed at filling the roles of Dorothy and Toto for a theatrical production of "The Wizard of Oz."