"French Elvis" Johnny Hallyday says getting cancer treament

Ageing rocker Johnny Hallyday, a huge crowd-puller in France and other parts of the French-speaking world, is being treated for cancer.

Hard-living Hallyday, 73, broke the news himself, saying in a tweet he was shocked by alarmist reports circulating on the social networks.

"Let me assure you I am doing fine and am in good shape physically," he said. "It's true that cancerous cells were detected a few months ago and I am getting treatment."

The singer some call "The French Elvis" had a brush with death when back surgery went wrong in 2009 but recovered and returned to the concert circuit soon afterwards.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)