Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe Urges Fans to Pray for Tony Iommi’s Recovery from Cancer

Yesterday, the metal community was impacted by the sobering news that that Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has been diagnosed with the early stages of a cancer called lymphoma, which causes tumors in lymphoid cells that.

The announcement was greeted with an outpouring of sympathy and well wishes from musicians and fans alike. In a series of emotional Tweets, Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe chimed in as well, praising Iommi and urging the band's fans to pray for the guitarist's rapid recovery.

"I absolutely insist that every single follower of mine, religious or not, send a prayer up for Tony Iommi," Blythe wrote. "SABBATH is writing a new record, and they are continuing to. Iommi is the reason heavy metal exists. Pray for him. You pray to Crom, Odin, yourself — don't care who. Just send up some positive vibes for Tony Iommi. This is terrible news for metal"

Though his words were somewhat garbled, his sentiment was clear: "I've toured with Iommi a coupla times. He is a gentleman and a living legend. Hopefully, since it's in early stages, they can beat it pretty easily. But Iommi's not a young man, so think good thoughts! It is no secret that I have donated both my time, energy, facial hair, and a fair amount of my money to cancer research. I've walked the walk (literally) as well as talked the talk. However, there's nothing wrong with positive vibes."

Iommi, 63, is talking to doctors about the best treatment plan, which will likely involve chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. In a statement, Iommi's management said the guitarist remains positive and is determined to make a complete recovery. An update on Black Sabbath's Web sites states, "If you'd like to send a get well email to Tony, you can do so by emailing getwelltony@black-sabbath.com - Please don't send other stuff than get well wishes. They'll get deleted. It's just for this subject."

Black Sabbath are currently working on their first album with their original lineup in 33 years. The as-yet-untitled disc is being produced by Rick Rubin, who plans to fly to the UK with the rest of the band to continue working with Iommi. The band has scheduled 15 festival dates for this summer.