Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band keyboard player Danny Federici had been diagnosed with cancer and will be leaving the band's current tour immediately to seek treatment for melanoma. Federici, who has been in the group from its inception, played his last show in Boston, where he left to the encouragement of his band members, as well as a crowd that had heard rumors of his diagnosis and chanted his name as the band took its final bows.

In a statement, Springsteen described the 57-year-old musician, with whom he had been a member of pre-E Street bands such as Steel Mill and Child, as "one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years." He added, "We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return." Springsteen and the E Streeters head off to Madrid to begin a month-long European tour. Charles Giordano, who played keyboards on last year's 'Seeger Sessions' tour, will step in as Federici's substitute. Read the full story.