James Pickens Jr., well-known for portraying Dr. Richard Webber on Grey’s Anatomy, has revealed a personal health challenge that echoes his character’s storyline. Recently, Pickens, aged 73, shared that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, a condition that has a history of affecting his family.

In a candid discussion with Black Health Matters, Pickens reflected on his diagnosis. “It’s not news anyone wants to receive, but prostate cancer is no stranger to my family,” he admitted. “My father had it, and among his many brothers, several faced the same battle. Frankly, I would have been more surprised if I hadn’t been diagnosed.”

He continued, “I have a first cousin who’s now 90 and still with us; he battled it too. His son and a few of his brothers have also had it. Thankfully, as far as I know, no one in the family has lost their life to it.”

Throughout all 22 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, Pickens has brought to life the character of Dr. Richard Webber. Recently, in the November 13 episode, his character, who has just resumed his role as chief of surgery, revealed a similar personal health struggle with an unspecified type of cancer. This storyline intertwines with that of Richard’s wife, Catherine Fox, played by Debbie Allen, who is also depicted as living with cancer.

In a related note, Debbie Allen expressed her unwavering support for the on-screen couple, Catherine Fox and Richard Webber, during a conversation with Us Weekly. “He’s my husband, and I’m not letting him go anywhere. That’s the truth,” Allen, 74, declared while discussing her Gr8 Eye Movement campaign, a collaboration with Prevent Blindness and Regeneron.

As for Pickens, he was diagnosed earlier this year.

“I started getting my annual physical 34 years ago, and I started my PSA testing when I was 41. I’m 73 now,” he recalled to the outlet. “My urologist said, ‘Because you were so diligent in that piece of your health, it was to your advantage. We were able to catch it so early because you were being tested.’”

Pickens found out in January that there was a tumor located on his prostate, but it hadn’t spread further. He subsequently opted to undergo a prostatectomy, where a man’s prostate gland is surgically removed.

“We caught it really early, and so they thought that would be the best route to take,” Pickens explained. “I do have a rare variant that you don’t see very often. They wanted to err on the side of caution and keep an eye on it. It was rare enough that they wanted to make sure that they were crossing all the T’s and dotting all their I’s, but they hadn’t seen one that was detected as early as mine.”

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Even before his diagnosis, Pickens was diligent about screening for any sign of cancer.

“My father had prostate cancer. It didn’t kill him, but he had it. He also had two brothers, I think, that had it as well,” the actor exclusively told Us Weekly in September 2024. “It was something I felt incumbent upon myself to be diligent [about] as I looked into my own health. I started being pretty proactive when I turned right around, I guess about 50, and started to get yearly prostate exams.”

Pickens further wanted to raise awareness for prostate cancer, which is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in men in the United States.

“I thought it was very important that as Black man that we needed to be made more aware of how this disease played a part in our community,” he told Us at the time. “There’s a lot more prevalence in the African American community.”