British Olympic diving champion Lee to miss Paris Games after spinal surgery
The British pair won the men's synchronised 10m platform at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and Lee also triumphed alongside Noah Williams at the Commonwealth Games the following year.
But Lee, 26, will miss the Olympics after receiving treatment.
"The surgery went well but my surgeon told me my nerve was very stuck and it took longer than expected to remove my bulging disc without damaging my nerve," he said in an Instagram post.
"He also told me it wouldn't have got better on its own so to have the surgery was the right decision."
Lee added: "What this means for me this year is self-explanatory, which is very sad, but the reason I look so damn happy in hospital is that I'm no longer in chronic pain, we've found a solution and I have something to work on."
Daley, 29, still has a chance of winning a second straight Olympic gold after joining forces with Williams.