James Pickens Jr, who has been a long-time part of Grey's Anatomy's family, revealed that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Talking to Black Health Matters, James noted, "It's not the kind of news anyone wants to hear, but to be honest, prostate cancer has run through my family."
His on-screen character, Dr Richard Webber, is also dealing with a similar health concern on the renowned show.
"My father had it. He had a lot of brothers; several of them had it. I would have been surprised if I hadn't gotten it," he added.
Going more into his family's history with the disease, James said, "I've got a 90-year-old first cousin, who's still alive, actually, [and] he had it. His son has it, a couple of his brothers had it. No one, as far as I know, has succumbed to it."
James shared that he was diagnosed earlier this year, as he started getting his testing over three decades ago when he was 41.
"My urologist said, 'Because you were so diligent in that piece of your health, it was to your advantage. We were able to catch it so early because you were being tested,'" the 71-year-old noted.
In January, Pickens discovered he had a tumour on his prostate. However, it had not spread further yet, so he opted to undergo a prostatectomy, a procedure in which a man's prostate gland is surgically removed.
"We caught it really early, and so they thought that would be the best route to take," he said.
James Pickens Jr has starred as Dr Richard Webber in all 22 seasons of the ABC series, and at the end of Thursday's fall finale episode, Richard told Dr Miranda Bailey (played by Chandra Wilson) that he was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer.
