Rage Against The Machine’s bassist Tim Commerford has revealed he had his prostate removed following a cancer diagnosis ahead of the legendary rock band’s reunion tour last summer. In an interview with Spin published Monday, the 54-year-old said he underwent surgery just two months before the tour. “My doctors said I wasn’t going to be ready,” he told the magazine. “That was brutal. I would be on stage looking at my amp in tears. Then you just kind of turn around and suck it up.” Calling his health battle “some pretty serious shit,” Commerford explained that only those closest to him—including his bandmates—had previously been aware of his diagnosis. He said he’d chosen to speak out and spread awareness after guitarist Andy Taylor announced his stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis in a letter read aloud by his Duran Duran bandmate at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony last month. “I hope there’s one person who reads this and is like, ‘Fuck, I need to get checked out’ when they find out about it,” Commerford said.