Dee Snider's Twisted Polyp

03/01/2006 3:44 PM, E! Online
Josh Grossberg

Dee Snider's not gonna take it anymore.

The frontman for '80s metal pioneers Twisted Sister has confirmed he will undergo emergency throat surgery Friday after his voice gave out following a Jan. 20 concert in Los Angeles, leading doctors to discover a polyp that had lodged near his vocal chords.

As a result, the New York-based quartet was forced to scrap a performance at the Atarfe Vega Festival in Grenada, Spain March 10 and 11. An April 29 show set for Las Vegas' Silverton Casino is still on as of press time.

Snider, better known to younger generations for his hilarious commentary on the '70s and '80s on VH1's I Love nostalgia series, will also have to sit out his nationally syndicated weekly radio gig, The House of Hair, which goes out to more than 200 radio stations across the U.S., as well as nix various tube commitments, studio sessions and other live engagements over the next two months so he can properly recuperate.

"I hate canceling shows and disappointing fans for any reason, but I have been advised that this surgery should not wait," the headbanger said in a statement. "My VH1 and House of Hair shows will be taped, but some live performance events will have to be rescheduled."

Throat specialist Dr. Gwen S. Korovin, who's reportedly treated such legendary crooners as Luciano Pavarotti, Mick Jagger and Celine Dion, spotted a benign growth close to Snider's voice box after running a series of tests. While an operation to remove the nodule is fairly routine, healing time is long and doctors say it'll be at least a couple of months before the "I Wanna Rock" singer's able to return to the stage.

"I have been told by my doctors that the recovery period will be about eight weeks so Twisted Sister will be performing again early in May, so our summer tour plans will not be affected," said Snider.

Those include headlining festival dates in in June and July in the U.K., Germany, Finland, Norway and Canada where the group, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, has experienced a major resurgence.

In typical Dee fashion, Snider couldn't resist a few quips too: "All of you people out there, including my wife Suzette, who have been hoping I would just shut up, are finally getting your wish...at least for a couple of months."

Snider's Twisted Sister bandmate and co-manager, Jay Jay French, couldn't have agreed more.

"We all wish Dee the very best with this surgery. I have been trying to get him to shut up for the best part of 30 years, but now I am faced with a silent partner for the next eight weeks," he joked. "I think I should just sit back, pour myself a drink and enjoy it!"