Legendary Formula 1 commentator Murray Walker has been diagnosed with cancer.
The 89-year-old said he had a form of lymphatic system cancer, which was diagnosed during tests after a fall in which he broke his pelvis last month.
"They've caught it incredibly early. It's treatable, the doctors say my condition is mild and I'm very hopeful," Walker said.
Walker is to have a programme of chemotherapy over the next few months in an attempt to cure the disease.
He has cancelled his plans to attend the British Grand Prix over the weekend of 28-30 June.
Walker has become synonymous with F1 over more than 30 years of commentary, first with the BBC and then with ITV.
He retired from full-time commentary after the 2001 US Grand Prix but has continued to work in F1, where he is regarded with great affection and admiration.
Since the BBC regained the rights to the sport at the start of the 2009 season, he has been involved in a series of features on the BBC Sport website.
These have included Classic F1, F1's greatest drivers and, this year, Murray's Moments.
As a broadcaster, he is famous for his high-energy commentary style and his propensity to mis-speak in an amusing manner - his catchphrase is: "Unless I am very mistaken and yes, I am very much mistaken."
As a result, Walker has been a regular feature in Private Eye's "Colemanballs" column and is the subject of a number of websites that have collected his most famous sayings.
SOURCE: BBC Sport
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