Sting has postponed two of his concerts and cancelled an upcoming appearance at an awards ceremony due to ill health.
The former Police frontman, 73, has pulled out of performing at the Bass Magazine Awards this Thursday, which is where he was due to be honoured with a lifetime achievement award.
The singer, real name Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, has also pushed back US concerns in Phoenix, Arizona and Wheatland, California, until May and June.
A post on the musician’s Instagram account said: “On advisement from his doctor, due to illness, it is with sincere regret that Sting must cancel his appearance at the Bass Magazine Awards this Thursday. And postpone his STING 3.0 concerts in Phoenix, AZ (originally scheduled for January 24) to June 1 and Wheatland, CA (originally scheduled for January 26) to May 28 as well as his performance at the Cherrytree Music Company’s 20th anniversary, now taking place May 29.”
It was advised that fans should retain their tickets for the postponed shows, as they will still be valid for the new dates.
“Sting sincerely apologises for any inconvenience and extends his gratitude to the fans for their understanding.”
While no further information has been shared about the nature of the musician’s illness, fans sent their well wishes online, with one writing: “Praying for you. Get well soon.”
Speaking in a recent interview alongside his wife Trudie Styler, Sting revealed that their son, Joe, had recently lost his house in California to the destructive wildfires that destroyed more than 14,000 structures and displaced tens of thousands.
“He’s got three little ones so it’s devastating,” Styler said of their son. “They’ve found a pet-friendly hotel for them and the dogs.”
It was announced last week that Sting would be joining Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in a fundraising performance for FireAid, a benefit concert for Los Angeles wildfire relief.
The concert was originally scheduled to take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, but was expanded to an additional venue, the adjacent Kia Forum for 30 January. Sting has not clarified whether he will also be pulling out of the performance.
The FireAid concert will be shown across Apple Music, Apple TV, Netflix, Paramount+, Prime Video and other broadcasters.
According to a press release, contributions to FireAid will “be distributed under the advisement of the Annenberg Foundation, for short-term relief efforts and long-term initiatives to prevent future fire disaster. All proceeds from the FireAid benefit concert at Intuit Dome and Kia Forum will go directly to the event’s designated beneficiaries.”
The lineup also includes Joni Mitchell, Katy Perry, Lil Baby, Pink, Rod Stewart, Gwen Stefani, Green Day, Jelly Roll, Finneas, Gracie Abrams, Stephen Stills, Stevie Nicks, Tate McRae and Earth, Wind & Fire.
