Philip Chevron, guitarist of Celtic punk legends The Pogues, has been diagnosed with inoperable cancer.

It had been thought that Chevron fully recovered from head and neck cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2007, but doctors discovered a new tumor in April 2012.

Due to the position of the tumor, operating on it would “almost certainly cause a stroke or worse.”

A statement released today notes, “The cancer is, in short, inoperable and will prove fatal in time, though it is at present impossible to measure life expectancy.”

Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1955, Chevron joined The Pogues following the release of their debut album in 1984. He became a full-time member as the band began work on its sophomore album, Rum, Sodomy and the Lash, playing guitar, banjo, and mandolin. He also appears on the band’s most critically acclaimed album, 1989′s If I Should Fall from Grace with God.

Declining health spurred on by drug and alcohol abuse led Chevron to quit The Pogues in 1994. However, when the band reunited in 2001, Chevron once again became an active touring member. He was also chiefly responsible for the remastering of the band’s entire back catalog in in 2004.

In addition to his work with The Pogues, Chevron fronted punk band The Radiators through the 1970s, 80s, and 2000s.

“Philip thanks his friends, colleagues, family and management team for their enduring support and hopes to make some notable musical contributions before, as he puts it, the cancer becomes ‘lethal’.”