New Order's Gillian Gilbert says she is living with cancer
Gillian Gilbert, keyboardist and guitarist with New Order, has said she is living with cancer and is continuing treatment.
She disclosed the diagnosis in a social post shared through the band's official accounts, according to Billboard. The band's website carried the text as "A message from Gillian" on 15 September, according to New Order. The announcement was also shared on Instagram.
Gilbert, who is 65, according to The Guardian, said treatment is continuing. She asked for privacy. That request applies while she remains under care.
Requests for privacy around illness are now routine in music announcements. They signal that any further updates, if they come, will come from the artist or the band.
She also used the message to address concern about her bandmate and partner, drummer Stephen Morris. Gilbert said Morris is well. She said remarks he made in an interview with Rolling Stone had been misinterpreted by some readers to mean that he was seriously ill.
The message follows an announcement in June that Gilbert and Morris would not appear with New Order at its show at Primavera in Chile in late November. The reason given at the time was personal health reasons. No further detail was provided then.
Gilbert was invited to join New Order in October 1980. She plays keyboards and guitar in the band. Her role has placed her at the centre of its live and recorded work for more than four decades.
New Order and Joy Division are due to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November. The 2026 ceremony is set for 14 November in Los Angeles. That date falls less than two weeks before the Chile show the couple will miss.
For fans, this means the November dates carry added weight. One is a formal honour in Los Angeles. The other is a live show in Chile that will go ahead without two of its long-standing members.
What makes this stand out is the directness. The account of her health comes from Gilbert herself, in her own words, with the facts limited to what she chose to share. No additional medical detail has been made public.
