Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson clarifies “days are numbered” comments: “I should be O.K. for a few more years”

Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson revealed on Tuesday in an interview with Dan Rather that he's living with "an incurable lung disease" and that his "days are numbered." He's now clarified those comments with a new statement, saying it's not quite as dire as it may have sounded. "Thanks for your concern but no worries about my diagnosed COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] and asthma," Ian said in the new statement. "I have had 14 months with no infections and no bronchitis, so last year was the first since my twenties when I didn’t get sick at all. The conditions I have are early-stage and I plan to keep them that way"

As for that "days are numbered" part, he says he meant “my days as a singer were numbered, rather than days to live! After all, I am 73 years old this August! But I should be OK for a few more years if COVID-19 doesn’t get me first. I am at no more risk of catching the COVID virus than anyone else. Just that the results could be much worse than if I was 17 or even 27. If anything, I am less likely to catch it than many people as I have been practising very safe hygiene for years and social distancing is a way of life for me! I am well rehearsed in public spaces, restaurants, hotels etc."

"Only flying causes me concern," says Anderson. "But I have all the best gels, sprays, masks and facial protection ready for if and when the time comes to embark into the real world professionally." We certainly hope it does, Ian.

He's also still got his sense of humor: "On the upside I don’t suffer from hemorrhoids or erectile dysfunction. So, things are looking up, not down – puns fully intended.”

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