Jeff Bridges Reveals Lymphoma Diagnosis

LOS ANGELES, CA — Oscar-winning Actor Jeff Bridges channeled his iconic role in announcing to the world that he is battling lymphoma.

"The Big Lebowski" star tweeted Monday, "As the Dude would say.. New S**T has come to light. I have been diagnosed with Lymphoma," Bridges tweeted. "Although it is a serious disease, I feel fortunate that I have a great team of doctors and the prognosis is good. I'm starting treatment and will keep you posted on my recovery."

He followed up with a heartfelt tweet thanking his friends and supporters, "I'm profoundly grateful for the love and support from my family and friends. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes. And, while I have you, please remember to go vote. Because we are all in this together. Love, Jeff."

Almost immediately, thousands of colleagues and friends sent well wishes on social media to the 70-year-old actor who starred in "Crazy Heart," "Tron," "The Last Picture Show," and "The Fisher King."

"Every cool human on this planet is wishing you well brother," tweeted fellow musician Sean Ono Lennon.

A similar post on Facebook has already drawn more than 17,000 responses as of Tuesday morning.

Lymphoma is a cancer of a part of the immune system. There are many types of lymphoma. One type is Hodgkin disease; the rest are called non-Hodgkin lymphomas.

Actor James Woods -- Bridges' co-star in 1984's "Against All Odds," tweeted a photo from the film Monday night. "I have to say we had more fun doing this than you could ever imagine," Woods wrote. "Jeff is the greatest guy, just like he is on screen, except ten times better in every way. I am really praying for him."

Bridges -- the son of the late actor Lloyd Bridges and brother of actor Beau Bridges -- was born in Los Angeles and graduated from University High School. He has appeared in more than 70 films, including "Fat City," "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot," "King Kong" (1976), "Heaven's Gate," "Starman," "Jagged Edge," "The Fabulous Baker Boys," "Fearless," "True Grit" (2010) and "Hell or High Water."

He won an Oscar for best actor for 2009's "Crazy Heart," and has received six other Academy Awards nominations.

Bridges is also a singer and musician who has released several country songs and a couple of albums. He received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 1994, located at 7065 Hollywood Blvd.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.