Elton John has been forced to cancel a string of shows after severe pain following a diagnosis of appendicitis on his current European tour, with the 66-year-old undertaking an intense round of antibiotics and scheduled to undergo surgery in the coming weeks.
The singer told The Sun that he at first thought the extreme pain was food poisoning, only finding out later it was an abscess on his appendix. “I’m lucky to be alive,” he said. “I was a ticking time bomb. I guess I could have died at any time. I feel so lucky and so grateful to be alive.”
He had been set to appear at Collisioni festival today in Italy and headline the British Summer Time festival in Hyde Park in London on Friday but has pulled out of both festivals, with a spokesperson for the singer songwriter released a statement via his website:
“Elton is incredibly disappointed to postpone these tour dates. To know that he made such superhuman efforts and continued to perform to thousands through his illness only confirms his dedication to his European fans. He is eager to be back on top form and return to play the remaining shows starting in early September 2013.”
John will be resuming touring when he is fully recovered from surgery, with the Crocodile Rock hitmaker scheduled to commence his live shows on 4th September in Leeds, followed by a month-long residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He’s also likely to commence complaining about The Voice. The legendary performer will release The Diving Board, his first solo album in seven years, on 9th September.
(via Rolling Stone)
