Legendary heavy metal guitarist Tony Iommi (HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH) was a guest on the October 20, 2009 edition of BBC Radio 2's "The Radcliffe And Maconie Show". The program is now available or streaming at this location. (Note: The Iommi interview begins around the one-hour, 10-minute mark.)

Regarding recent reports that he was due to undergo surgery on his hand, Iommi said, "I've had this problem with my hand and I've had this stem cell treatment on it. [I have to wear a guard on my hand] to stop me from banging it. But it's coming on good. The cartilage [was worn out between] the joints, and the joints [were] rubbing on the joints. It was bone to bone and it was getting a bit painful. And I've done it for quite awhile — 18 months — and I've been taking anti-inflammatories and painkillers. But I just wanted to stop doing it, 'cause it upsets your stomach, and get it done. This is the latest thing, so we'll see if it works."

According to ArmyTimes, stem cells are cells found in all multicellular organisms that can renew themselves through division and morph into a diverse range of other specialized cell types.

A stem cell is a sort of "beginner cell" that has not yet assumed a specific function or form such as bone, blood or nerve. The younger a person is, the more stem cells are present; they start to diminish around age 20, when most people finish growing.

As previously reported, Iommi will be IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson's guest on Friday, October 23 during Bruce's weekly BBC 6 Music radio program, dubbed "The Bruce Dickinson Friday Rock Show". Listen to the broadcast live via the Internet between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. (midnight) U.K. time at BBC.co.uk.

The management for HEAVEN & HELL vocalist Ronnie James Dio released a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET on August 27 in an attempt to "quash any rumors that [the group] have broken up." The statement read in part, "Tony Iommi has to have surgery on his hand and [needs] some down time for recovery. Therefore DIO [the band] will be performing some dates in the U.K. and Europe in November/December during this time off. HEAVEN & HELL are already making plans for dates next year."

Photo below courtesy of Tony Iommi's MySpace page.