Beyonce’s Father Mathew Knowles, 67, Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Beyonce’s father, Mathew Knowles, revealed in an interview set to air Wednesday that he was diagnosed with breast cancer. Knowles sat down with Good Morning America and opened up about what it was like telling his family about the diagnosis.

The show shared a short teaser of Knowles sitting down with host Michael Strahan, who asked about Knowles’ family, which also includes daughter Solange. Meanwhile, Knowles tweeted he’d have a “special announcement” when he appears on the show.

Knowles, who was Beyonce‘s former manager, is divorced from her mother Tina Knowles. He managed Beyonce from the late 1990s during her multiplatinum Destiny’s Child days through the launch of her career as a solo artist after the girl group split in 2006.

Beyonce cut professional ties with Knowles in 2011, with both sides saying it was amicable. “I’ve only parted ways with my father on a business level,” she said at the time. “He is my father for life and I love my dad dearly. I am grateful for everything he has taught me.”

That was the same year Knowles divorced wife Tina after 30 years of marriage — although the two have been spotted together supporting Beyonce on various occasions and appear to have had an amicable split.

While breast cancer mostly affects women, thousands of men are diagnosed annually. About 245,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women and 2,200 in men each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, the organization says that 41,000 women and 460 men die from breast cancer in the US annually.

October is breast cancer awareness month, the time of year when women are reminded to check their breasts for signs for lumps or any abnormalities, although Knowles is proof that men should be aware as well.

Knowles is a longtime supporter of Beyonce’s career. “I think that’s the beauty of her creativity and I think that’s what makes it so special, is that it relates to everyone,” he told E! News after the release of Lemonade. “Every one of us have been disappointed before and have had to go through the grieving process of anger and, you know, disappointment and then acceptance and forgiveness. And I think that’s why this again is touching so many people, because it’s universal. Everybody can relate to it.”

Photo credit: Dave Hogan / Contributor / Getty