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Daily Mirror
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Joel Leaver

Dr. Feelgood's Wilko Johnson's reason for refusing chemo after cancer diagnosis decade ago

There's been an outpouring of tributes to late musician Wilko Johnson after his death.

It was announced on Tuesday the musician - best known for having been a member of the band Dr. Feelgood - had passed away on Monday (November 21) at the age of 75.

The guitarist - born John Peter Wilkinson - rose to fame in the 1970s and more recently appeared in an acting role as Ser Ilyn Payne in the first two seasons of Game of Thrones.

His role in the HBO series came just a few years before he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in 2013. He was given 10 months to live as part of the initial diagnosis.

It was announced today Wilko Johnson (pictured) had died aged 75 (Redferns)

He opted not to have chemotherapy and explained the decision in interviews at the time. He said in one of them: "They said they can't cure it. All they can do is slow it down."

The father-of-two continued in the interview: "With chemo I might have a year, but [it] makes you very ill. I'd much rather have the time I've got and then let it take its course."

BBC News reports he said the decision was "quite easy," telling BBC Radio 5 Live that chemo "could do no more than extend [his] life for a relatively short period".

Tributes have since been paid to the guitarist, pictured with Roger Daltrey (right) (Yui Mok/PA Wire)

He embarked on a 'farewell tour' in 2013 and the following year released the album Going Back Home, with Roger Daltrey, which he had thought might be his final project.

Wilko later sought a second opinion over his diagnosis. It's said to have been prompted by him surpassing the initial expectations for how long he would live after his diagnosis.

It's reported further tests showed his cancer wasn't as aggressive as first thought. He was said to have a neuroendocrine tumour; a rare and less aggressive malignancy.

He is best known for having been in the band Dr. Feelgood (Getty Images)

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Wilko had the tumour - as well as his pancreas, spleen and parts of his intestines - removed in a lengthy operation in 2014. He subsequently declared he had been "cured".

Following the procedure, Wilko made a remark about coming to terms with the possibility of having a longer life than he had expected, making it at that year's Q Awards.

The Guardian reports he said at the event: "Now, I'm spending my time gradually coming to terms with the idea that my death is not imminent, that I'm going to live on".

Wilko had also been a member of Solid Senders (Redferns)

Wilko - who had also been a member of the band Solid Senders - is said to have continued to perform in the years since the operation, including at some gigs earlier this year.

News of his passing was announced this morning, though a cause of death has not yet been shared. It has prompted an outpouring of tributes, with fans paying their respects.

Among the tributes, he has been described as a "guitar legend" who had a "unique stage presence". Wilko has also been referred to as a "wonderful man" and a "true original".

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