American dancer and inventor of Irish tap dance shows like “Riverdance”, Michael Flatley, has been diagnosed with cancer. The Irish-born artist said he had been “diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer” on his Facebook page yesterday.
Flatley says he has already had surgery and is in the care of an “excellent” team of doctors. “At the moment we will not be making any further comments. We are just asking for your prayers and good wishes,” he added.
The 64-year-old Flatley was born to Irish parents in the United States. From a young age, he took Irish dancing lessons in Chicago. His big break came in 1994 when he performed River Dance during intermission at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin.
He got into the Guinness Book of Records with the art of touching the ground 35 times per second. Flatley once said, “In my job, you have to see the pain like an old friend, and then it doesn’t matter.”
The dancer almost died from a viral infection in 2006. Due to chronic fatigue syndrome, he has not left the house for six months.
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