Ailing Black Sabbath Guitarist Tony Iommi Thanks Fans for Support

Veteran heavy metal musician, recently diagnosed with cancer, takes to his personal website to express his appreciation for all the positive messages he has received

Tony Iommi may be battling cancer, but he's clearly not going through it alone.

And the Black Sabbath guitarist, who was recently diagnosed with lymphoma, couldn't be more appreciative of the outpouring of love from "fans, friends and colleagues."

"I just want to say how overwhelmed I am with all your messages of support, thank you so much," Iommi wrote on his personal website.

The 63-year-old musician goes on to say that while his current medical condition is "not what I wanted for Christmas," he can't wait to "get going with the treatment."

Despite the diagnosis, Iommi and the rest of the original Sabbath lineup—Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward—are still moving forward with their first collection of music in 33 years. No word yet, though, on whether the group will proceed with its upcoming tour.

"It's really good that the guys are coming over so that we can continue working on the album as things are going great in the studio," said Iommi, adding: "Bless you all."

Right back at ya, Tony.