‘Idol’ contestant Luke Menard has cancer

Season seven contender was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma

Fox

Season seven "Idol" contender Luke Menard was kicked off the show when the final 24 was whittled down to the top 10.

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Access Hollywood

updated 11:10 p.m. ET May 21, 2008

Carpet layer-turned-“American Idol” hopeful Luke Menard has been diagnosed with cancer.

The season seven contender, who was kicked off as “Idol” whittled their top 24 to a top 10, has Hodgkin lymphoma, a rep for his a capella ensemble Chapter 6, confirmed to CBS news.

“Luke had a lingering cough and was having trouble breathing deeply, so he went to the doctor to have it checked out,” Jane Victor told CBS News. “The suspicion was walking pneumonia. But after a chest x-ray doctors saw a mass and did more testing, which is what led to the stage II Hodgkin diagnosis.”

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Though he was booted out of “Idol” earlier in the season, Menard made several appearances in the audience of the show, as recently as last week.

Menard, 29, and his wife remain hopeful. The disease has one of the highest success rates of treatment for any type of cancer.

“They’ve been told that it’s treatable and manageable. Luke is currently in Los Angeles and plans to return home to Indiana soon,” Victor said.