EXCLUSIVE: Oasis' Grim Cancer Secret — Comeback Group 'Haunted' by Founding Member's Illness As He Launches into 'Fanatical' Fitness Regime to Stay Healthy on the Road
Bonehead, real name Paul Arthurs, quit the band in 1999.
Aug. 26 2025, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
Oasis guitarist Bonehead is throwing himself into cold-water swimming and drinking herbal tea as part of a strict new routine – with the band "haunted" by the fear that his cancer could return during their high-profile reunion tour, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 60-year-old rhythm guitarist – real name Paul Arthurs, who co-founded Oasis in Manchester in 1991 and was a key figure on albums Definitely Maybe and (What's the Story) Morning Glory? – has told pals the shock of his 2022 tonsil cancer diagnosis has never left him.
Bonehead's Lifestyle Change
Paul Arthurs, known as Bonehead, was diagnosed with tonsil cancer in 2022.
Bonehead, who announced later that year he was cancer-free, has now adopted what friends describe as a "fanatical" health regimen to cope with the grueling demands of stadium shows.
A source close to the band said: "Paul still carries the scars of his diagnosis. He's cancer-free, but he remains terrified it could come back.
"That fear drives him – he's obsessed with staying fit enough to handle the tour."
Another insider: "He's gone all in on this regime. Swimming in freezing seas, giving up alcohol, drinking herbal teas – it's his way of controlling the uncontrollable, and it's left the band haunted by fear his illness could return and derail their tour."
Friends say Bonehead fears cancer could return during the reunion tour.
Bonehead posted a photograph last week of himself plunging into the Irish Sea at Shankill beach, near Dublin, alongside Oasis' new American drummer, Joey Waronker, 56, ahead of back-to-back gigs at Croke Park.
"Yes Dublin," he captioned the image on X. Fans joked online that while they downed an estimated 250,000 pints across two nights, Bonehead was sticking to tea, with the guitarist also posting a snap of his favourite brew online.
Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, 52, is also on a health kick for the sake of the reunion shows.
He surprised crowds in Ireland by declaring he had gone sober for the gigs.
"This is the soberest I've been in Ireland since I was about four or five or something like that," he told 80,000 fans on Saturday, August 16 at Croke Park.
'The Good News Is It's Treatable'
Singer Liam Gallagher told fans he stayed sober for the Croke Park concerts.
Bonehead first shared news of his illness in April 2022, writing on social media: "Just to let you all know, I'm going to be taking a break from playing for a while. I've been diagnosed with tonsil cancer, but the good news is it's treatable and I'll be starting a course of treatment soon."
By September that year, he was able to announce: "I had a full scan 10 days ago, and it's all clear, it's gone."
Liam immediately offered support, writing: "Sending BIG love to the 1 n only Bonehead and his family, wishing you a speedy recovery we're all thinking of you rasta you'll be back on stage before you can say r we doing Colombia LG x."
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Bonehead announced his tonsil cancer diagnosis in April 2022.
Bonehead quit Oasis in 1999 to focus on family life, but has worked frequently with Liam since, joining Beady Eye and later his solo projects.
He has also reflected candidly on his role as mediator between the Gallagher brothers during the band's fractious heyday, once saying: "I was the rhythm guitarist and tour psychiatrist."
Doctors say cases of tonsil cancer – often linked to HPV as well as smoking and drinking – have doubled in the U.K. alone over the past decade.
Every year, about 1,600 people are diagnosed with the condition in Britain. Symptoms can be subtle, including a painless lump in the neck or a persistent sore throat.
