The Walking Dead Star Ross Marquand Treated for Cancer

Ross Marquand is battling cancer. Tuesday, The Walking Dead star announced he’s been diagnosed with the disease after getting a growth on his nose checked out.

“Well folks, I finally decided to listen- to family, friends, and fans. Countless people told me to get my nose checked over the past four years and I always said I was too busy and couldn’t possibly find the time…which was partially true,” Marquand said in a post on Instagram. “My schedule has been absolutely bonkers for longer than I can remember. But guess what? I let this problem fester and it grew into a cancer. I’m told this was one of the ‘better’ cancers to get, but left unchecked it could’ve become much, much worse.”

Marquand shared a series of pictures of himself where a chunk of skin has been removed out of his nose, including a snapshot of the cancer sample on a Petri dish.

“I hesitate to share this because I’m usually a very private person but I’m posting this to encourage all of you to prioritize your health – be that physical, mental, or emotional. I clearly did not, and now I’m playing catch up. Hopefully I’ll have many more days to learn and grow- to be healthier, to be better…but nothing in this life is certain,” the actor added. “Get yourself sorted and please don’t wait like I did. Lots of love to everyone for their kind words of support and encouragement, happy holidays, and oh yeah… #fuckcancer“

Though Marquand has joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in recent years as Red Skull and Ultron, the actor is still best known for his time on AMC’s The Walking Dead. The actor appeared in 115 episodes throughout the show’s run. If the MCU comes calling once again, Marquand told us last year he’d love to return to the franchise.

“I can neither confirm nor deny that,” he told us last fall. “But I would very much jump at the chance. I’m a comic book guy.”

Currently, Marquand is starring on Prime Video’s Invincible, voicing a number of characters including Rudolph “Rudy” Connors and The Immortal.