Richard Sterban, the bass singer of the Grammy-winning country-gospel quartet The Oak Ridge Boys, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Sterban, 82, announced his health battle on Thursday in a statement published on the group’s website, sharing that he was diagnosed in March of this year.
“I want to thank everyone, especially the fans, for your concern, and I would appreciate your continued prayers. Most days I’m feeling very good, and I hope to be back out on the road in several months.”
According to the update, Sterban last appeared with The Oak Ridge Boys in May, when the group took the stage at the 60th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards as presenters.
Since then, vocalists Aaron McCune and Tim Duncan have been filling in for the singer during performances.
Sterban joined The Oak Ridge Boys—the current members of which include frontman Duane Allen, tenor vocalist Ben James, and baritone singer William Lee Golden—in 1972.
The group, formerly known as the Oak Ridge Quartet, was founded in the 1940s by singer Wally Fowler, who died in 1994 at the age of 77, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Some of the band’s biggest hits include “Elvira,” “Bobbie Sue,” “American Made,” and “Love Song.”
In September 2023, The Oak Ridge Boys announced plans to retire from the stage, unveiling their “American Made: Farewell Tour.”
Less than four months later, the group’s longtime tenor, Joe Bonsall, revealed he would be unable to join his bandmates on the road due to his ongoing battle with the neuromuscular disorder Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
“It has been a great 50 years, and I am thankful to all the Oak Ridge Boys band crew and staff for the constant love and support shown to me through it all. I will never forget, and for those of you who have been constantly holding me up in prayer, I thank you and ask for you to keep on praying.”
Bonsall later died in July 2024 at the age of 76.
Years after announcing their farewell tour, The Oak Ridge Boys continue to tour today.
The band has concerts planned throughout the rest of the year and is currently scheduling shows for 2026.