

The Canadian Press





TORONTO -- Canadian crooner Michael Buble announced Friday that his oldest son, three-year-old Noah, has been diagnosed with cancer.

The Burnaby, B.C., native, who is married to Argentine actress Luisana Lopilato, made the announcement in a posting on his Facebook page.

"We are devastated about the recent cancer diagnosis of our oldest son Noah who is currently undergoing treatment in the U.S.," wrote Buble, who did not specify the type of cancer that was diagnosed.

"We have always been very vocal about the importance of family and the love we have for our children. Luisana and I have put our careers on hold in order to devote all our time and attention to helping Noah get well.

"At this difficult time, we ask only for your prayers and respect for our privacy," he added in the statement. "We have a long journey in front of us and hope that with the support of family, friends and fans around the world, we will win this battle, God willing."

Buble and Lopilato have another son, Elias, who turns one in January.

The diagnosis comes during a busy time for the multiple Grammy and Juno winner, who recently released the album "Nobody But Me."

It was also recently announced that he would be hosting the Brit Awards in February and the Junos in April.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the news would affect his hosting plans.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Michael and his family during this difficult time. We are respecting his request for privacy, as such we cannot comment on his participation in the 2017 Juno Awards at this time," said a Bell Media spokeswoman in a statement.

Noah was born in Vancouver on Aug. 27, 2013. In a June 2014 conference call with reporters, Buble gushed about the impact his son had on his life.

"I'm better at what I do -- way better," he said. "There's a fulfillment and a joy that I have in my life that I didn't have before.

"I was always a happy guy, I always had a good life, but I didn't know how good it could be. That's the truth. This kid has brought something to my life that I never knew was there. I didn't know that kind of love existed.

"It's allowed me to be way better at what I do."