'Grey's Anatomy' actor James Pickens Jr reveals prostate cancer diagnosis, says "Runs through family"

'Grey's Anatomy' star James Pickens Jr, known for his longtime association with the medical drama series, has revealed his prostate cancer diagnosis. In a recent interview, the actor revealed his medical condition, further adding that his family has a history of prostate cancer.

"It's not the kind of news anyone wants to hear, but to be honest, prostate cancer has run through my family. My father had it. He had a lot of brothers; several of them had it. I would have been surprised if I hadn't gotten it," he said, as quoted by Variety.

Pickens Jr. also shared how doctors were able to detect the cancer in the early stages after going for a regular health checkup.


"I went back in January, and when my PSA numbers came back, my primary said, 'Yeah, you know what? It's ticked up some more. We caught it really early, and so they thought that would be the best route to take. 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," the actor shared, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

For those unaware, James Pickens Jr. portrayed the character of Dr. Richard Webber in 'Grey's Anatomy' and appeared across all 22 seasons.

Speaking about his character, the actor shared his journey and added, "I've watched this character evolve over 21 seasons -- his ups and downs, I'd like to think of him as being incredibly human through all this. We've taken this journey with him when he's been victorious, when he's been in valleys and had to climb himself back up."

Meanwhile, his other TV credits include 'The Conners', 'Roseanne', and 'The X-Files'.