Posted 1 hour agoSubscribe to Screen Time NewsletterCaret DownA Long-Running "Grey's Anatomy" Star Says He Was Diagnosed With Cancer"It's not the kind of news anyone wants to hear," the actor said.by Ron DickerHuffPost WriterFacebookPinterestLink James Pickens Jr., who has played Dr. Richard Webber on Grey's Anatomy for all 22 seasons, announced he has prostate cancer. Earl Gibson Iii / Getty Images "It's not the kind of news anyone wants to hear, but to be honest, prostate cancer has run through my family," he said to Black Health Matters recently. "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."Pickens said he has been regularly monitored for prostate-specific antigen levels since his 40s. "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,'" he told the publication. Kristina Bumphrey / Getty Images Pickens was diagnosed in 2024, and said he opted to have his entire prostate removed because his doctors "wanted to err on the side of caution."On the show, Pickens' character also revealed he had cancer in Season 22's midseason finale, People noted. "I've got a 90-year-old first cousin, who's still alive, actually; he had it," Pickens said. "His son has it. A couple of his brothers had it. No one, as far as I know, has succumbed to it." Anne Marie Fox / Getty Images See Pickens' post with Black Health Matters about the importance of getting screened for prostate cancer below: View this photo on Instagram blackhealthmatters/therealjamespickens/instagram / Via Instagram: @undefined This article originally appeared on HuffPost.