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Country music icon Dwight Yoakam<\/span><\/strong> is paying tribute to his tourmate Raul Malo<\/strong> after The Mavericks<\/strong> frontman revealed that his cancer battle has taken a serious turn.<\/p>\n On October 7, Yoakam took to Instagram<\/a> to express his love and admiration for Malo, who recently announced that The Mavericks were canceling all remaining 2025 tour dates so he can undergo additional treatment.<\/p>\n \u201cSadly, the Mavericks will no longer be able to join us on the remaining 2025 tour dates as Raul focuses on his recovery,\u201d Yoakam wrote. \u201cRaul, I will deeply miss the exuberant and enormous musical joy that you and the rest of The Mavericks brought to the stage every night that we played our shows together. I know that I speak for the thousands of fans you touched with each of those performances when I say we are holding you in our thoughts, and sending our prayers for healing.\u201d<\/p>\n RELATED: Country Music Legend Dwight Yoakam Mourns Terrible Loss: \u2018An Honor to Know You\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Fans immediately filled the comments with encouragement, writing, \u201cSending prayers for Raul,\u201d and \u201cYes \ud83d\ude4c \ud83d\ude4f for a full recovery \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83e\ude79.\u201d<\/p>\n Malo first revealed his cancer diagnosis in early September, prompting The Mavericks to postpone several dates<\/a> while he recovered from surgery. But on September 24, the beloved singer shared that his condition had progressed<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to update you all on my health, as things have taken a turn,\u201d he wrote. \u201cAs it goes with cancer, it\u2019s a very unpredictable and indiscriminatory disease. I\u2019ve developed something called LMD, which stands for \u2018get this s–t out of my head.\u2019 Treatment for this is radiation, which I will start tomorrow. We will probably jump into some chemo, and are even looking at alternative therapies.\u201d<\/p>\n LMD actually stands for “leptomeningeal metastases” and it is cancer in the membranes that surround your brain and spinal cord, according to the Cleveland Clinic<\/a>.<\/p>\n RELATED: Country Stars Dwight Yoakam, Rosanne Cash Issue Warning to Fans<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Malo added that all shows moving forward were canceled, except for \u201csomething special\u201d planned for the Ryman Auditorium in December. Despite the news, he assured fans he remains surrounded by love and positivity.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to let everybody know, I am in no way alone, or scared,\u201d he wrote. \u201cI have an amazing wife and boys, wonderful family, team, road crew, band, friends and fans.\u201d<\/p>\n Yoakam and The Mavericks spent much of 2025 sharing the stage on a co-headlining tour that celebrated both acts\u2019 decades of country and Americana innovation. The pairing delighted longtime fans of \u201990s country, uniting Yoakam\u2019s Bakersfield twang with The Mavericks\u2019 blend of classic pop, rockabilly, and Latin influences.<\/p>\n As Malo turns his focus to recovery, Yoakam\u2019s message captures the deep respect between the two artists \u2014 and the hope shared across the country music community.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are holding you in our thoughts,\u201d Yoakam concluded, \u201cand sending our prayers for healing.\u201d<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfac\u00a0<\/strong>SIGN UP for Parade\u2019s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\ud83c\udfac<\/strong><\/p>\n This story was originally reported by Parade<\/a> on Oct 8, 2025, where it first appeared in the News<\/a> section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\nRaul Malo\u2019s Health Update<\/h2>\n