John Tesh has revealed details of his long battle with a rare form of cancer, saying he was initially told he might have only 18 months to live.
The former Entertainment Tonight host and musician, now 70, spoke about his diagnosis in an interview with Page Six, explaining that doctors first identified the illness in 2015.
“I was given 18 months to live,” Tesh said. “I’ve been battling cancer successfully since then. It’s an ongoing fight, with treatment cycles on and off.”
Rather than achieving full remission, Tesh said his doctors have taken a strategy aimed at managing the disease over time.
“They allow it to grow slightly before putting me back on treatment,” he said, describing the method as a form of “pulsing.”
Tesh acknowledged that living with cancer has required adjustment.
“It’s a frightening process until you adjust,” he said. “You find yourself wondering, ‘How am I living with cancer?’”
He credited physicians at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for helping extend his life and manage the disease.
Tesh also pointed to the support of his wife of more than three decades, actress Connie Sellecca, as a key factor in his ability to continue treatment.
“If it weren’t for Connie’s tireless advocacy, I wouldn’t be here to tell my story,” he said. “I would have succumbed to this disease back in 2015.”
The broadcaster added that faith has played a major role in how he approaches the illness. He referenced a verse from the Bible, Mark 11:23, which he has tattooed on his arm.
Tesh first rose to prominence as a television journalist before leaving Entertainment Tonight in 1996 to focus on a music career. In the years since, he has released multiple albums and composed the well-known NBA theme “Roundball Rock.”
He continues to perform and currently hosts the nationally syndicated radio program Intelligence for Your Life, which airs on hundreds of stations across the United States.
