New Order Keyboardist Gillian Gilbert Is ‘Living With Cancer’

“We are enormously grateful for everyone’s kindness and support and would appreciate some privacy as I continue with my treatment,” the musician wrote in a statement to New Order fans

Last week, in a discussion with Rolling Stone about the upcoming Joy Division box set Eternal (Live), Joy Division/New Order drummer Stephen Morris explained why he likely wouldn’t be attending the band’s upcoming induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame or participating in New Order’s upcoming South American tour. 

“I’ve got a bit of a health problem at the minute, which precludes leaving the country for any length of time,” he said. “I really don’t want to dwell on what this illness is, but it’s pretty serious. It’s not something that someone’s going to come up with a cure for.”

This generated headlines all across the world that the drummer was seriously ill. But in a new statement from New Order, keyboardist Gillian Gilbert — Stephen’s wife of 32 years and an original member of the band — revealed that she’s actually the one with the health problem.

“Thank you everyone who has reached out following Stephen’s recent interview with Rolling Stone,” Gilbert wrote in a statement. “We have both been incredibly touched by all the kind words and well wishes. I would like to gently clarify a misunderstanding from the interview, in the course of which comments were misinterpreted leading people to believe that Stephen is seriously ill. Thankfully, he is well. It is in fact me, who like many other people, is living with cancer. We completely understand how the misunderstanding arose and simply wanted to ensure that the correct information was shared. We are enormously grateful for everyone’s kindness and support and would appreciate some privacy as I continue with my treatment.”

Word of a health problem impacting a member of New Order first became public in late June when the band announced that both Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert would be sitting out the group’s upcoming tour of South America, marking the first time they’ll ever perform without Morris. (Gilbert took an extended break from the band in the early 2000s).

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“New Order are very happy to be playing Primavera in Chile in November marking the band’s first performance there in seven years,” the band wrote on Instagram. “Due to personal health reasons, Stephen and Gillian won’t be touring for the foreseeable future and will not be joining for this show.”

The South American tour comes just days after the band’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Nov. 14 at a ceremony in Los Angeles. It’s unclear if New Order singer-guitarist Bernard Sumner plans on attending. At the moment, original New Order bassist Peter Hook, who has been bitterly estranged from the band for the better part of two decades, is the only member confirmed to attend.