'Vinyl Cafe' Cancels Christmas Tour

"Vinyl Cafe" host Stuart McLean has canceled his public radio show's Christmas tour, including a Seattle stop, saying he's been diagnosed with melanoma and begins therapy next week.

In a statement on his CBC Radio show's website, McLean said the cancelations begin after a show Sunday in Thunder Bay, Ontario. McLean had been scheduled to appear Tuesday at Seattle's Paramount Theater.

McLean said his doctor has told him to expect a positive outcome.

"This is not quite as ominous as it sounds (or not as ominous as it sounded to me)," McLean said. "Melanoma, which was once a deadly diagnosis, has, over the last couple of years, become eminently treatable. The treatment is, as my wonderful doctor describes it, the poster child of cancer therapy."

He said he had weighed trying to do the Christmas tour while undergoing treatment but decided that possible side effects would preclude that.

"I don’t want to be doing shows if I can’t be my best self," he said.

He said ticket refunds would available beginning Tuesday and should be sought from the seller.

The Paramount said tickets for the Seattle show bought with a credit card would be refunded automatically. It said tickets bought with cash at the box office would be refunded during normal business hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday - Friday.

"I am otherwise healthy and, as I said, the likelihood of this being a bump in the road rather than the end of the road is by far the most expected outcome," McLean said.

"My apologies for the disruption and my best wishes to you and your loved ones for the holidays and the year ahead."

STG/Paramount issued a statement saying that all tickets purchased with a credit card will be automatically refunded.

The statements says that tickets purchased with cash at the Paramount Theatre box office can be refunded at point of purchase during normal business hours: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.