Key Takeaways
- Health Struggles: Steven Sweet has faced significant health challenges, including a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2018.
- Surgery Decisions: He opted for surgical removal of the cancer to avoid potential complications from treatments.
- Ongoing Issues: Sweet continues to deal with various health problems, including shoulder and hand issues.
- Determined Spirit: Despite his health challenges, he remains committed to performing and touring with Warrant.
Warrant’s Steven Sweet has offered details about his ongoing battles with a wide variety of health issues.
The 60 year-old rocker has endured various problems in recent years, the most serious of which was a cancer diagnosis in 2018.
“I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and it was deemed to be moderately progressive, which means not as bad as it could be, but worse than not,” Sweet recalled during a recent conversation with The Hair Metal Guru (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “So, they determined that the cancer was encapsulated. It was still just in the prostate — it hadn’t spread beyond, so I opted to have it surgically removed.”
“I didn’t wanna leave any chance that there wouldn’t be a chance that I couldn’t survive or it would come back,” the drummer explained. “And I didn’t wanna struggle with any sort of treatments that would cause terrible side effects and still not be 100% confirmed that they would cure everything.”
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If fighting cancer wasn’t enough, Sweet almost immediately had to go back for a different surgery.
“Two weeks after I had my prostate removed, I did have another spinal fusion,” he noted. “I would have done it at the same time had they allowed me to do that. But because of issues with anesthesia and recovery things, they wouldn’t do back-to-back surgeries. That’s just a few that I’ve had. I’ve had more [health issues] since 2018, but not cancer — thankfully.”
Steven Sweet Says He’s ‘Crumbling Inside’
Though he described himself as “pretty good” these days, Sweet also noted his tendency to downplay his health woes.
“I like to put on a good façade,” the drummer admitted. “I’m crumbling inside in other ways. I still have massive shoulder issues. I have massive hand, arthritis issues. I had a hip replacement two years ago. What else? It’s always ongoing. I ruptured a bicep tendon, which means my bicep is half hanging on my arm now, so it just doesn’t end.”
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Despite a laundry list of health problems, Sweet – who joined Warrant in 1986 and has played on six of their nine studio albums – has no intentions of retiring.
“I’ll keep going as long as I can keep going,” he declared. “I mean, I can work through pain issues. It used to bother me more than they do now… John Elway won two Super Bowls with a torn bicep. So if he can do it, I can do it.”
Warrant is currently in the midst of their Turn Up the Good Times 2026 tour, with dates stretching through October.
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