GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter Elvis Costello has been forced to cancel the remaining six shows of his ongoing European tour after revealing he was recently diagnosed with cancer.
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The 63-year-old underwent surgery in May to remove a "small but aggressive cancerous malignancy" before beginning his summer tour. His doctors have urged him to sit out the upcoming dates to recover.
“Six weeks ago my specialist called me and said, ‘You should start playing the Lotto,'” Costello said in a statement. “He had rarely, if ever, seen such a small but very aggressive cancerous malignancy that could be defeated by a single surgery. I was elated and relieved that our European summer tour could go ahead."
Despite this initial optimism, Costello admitted he had to accept his recovery will take longer than he would have wished and apologized to ticketholders for the cancellations.
"Post-surgical guidelines for such surgery, recommend three weeks to four weeks recovery, depending on whether you are returning to a desk job or an occupation that involves physical work or travel," Costello continued. "It was impossible to judge how this advisory would line up with the demands on a traveling musician, playing 90-minute to two-hour-plus performances on a nightly basis, but by the time we reached the Edinburgh Playhouse, I was almost fooled into thinking that normal service had been resumed."
In the statement, Costello also reminded fans he and his band The Imposter have a "magnificent new record of which we are truly proud" on the way this October. Just last month, he announced the album and a fall North American tour to support it.
A full list of scheduled tour dates can be found on Costello's website, as fans of the songwriting icon from all over the world wish him a full and speedy recovery.
