YES bassist CHRIS SQUIRE has been diagnosed with acute erythroid leukemia, the band has announced. In the official statement, the prog titans have noted that SQUIRE will be receiving treatment in his hometown of Phoenix over the next few months.

Additionally, CHRIS will temporarily be replaced by Billy Sherwood, who played guitar and keyboards in the group as a touring member in 1994 and as a full member from 1997 to 2000.

This will mark the very first time that CHRIS SQUIRE has missed a YES show since the formation in almost five decades ago.

"This will be the first time since the band formed in 1968 that Yes will have performed live without me. But the other guys and myself have agreed that Billy Sherwood will do an excellent job of covering my parts and the show as a whole will deliver the same Yes experience that our fans have come to expect over the years," the bassist stated.

YES are currently gearing up to kick off their co-headlining North American tour with TOTO on August 7.