Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber diagnosed with cancer

LONDON - Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his spokeswoman said Sunday.

The 61-year-old Lloyd Webber’s condition is in its early stages, a statement from his publicists said.

“Andrew is now undergoing treatment and expects to be fully back at work before the end of the year,” the statement said.

Lloyd Webber recently announced plans for a sequel to his phenomenally successful musical “Phantom of the Opera.” Called “Love Never Dies,” it is scheduled to open in London in March and follow on Broadway in November. Rehearsals begin in the new year.

At a media event for the new musical earlier this month, Lloyd Webber said that while the story picks up where “Phantom” left off, he doesn’t regard it as a sequel — “it’s a standalone piece.”

But Lloyd Webber said he was inspired to write the musical because “there’s unfinished business.&rdq