Elton John Cancels Concerts After Contracting “Potentially Deadly” Infection

Elton John has canceled a series of concerts after contracting a “rare and potentially deadly” bacterial infection while on tour in South America.

ELTON JOHN CANCELS CONCERTS AFTER CONTRACTING INFECTION

The famed British singer, who turned 70 in March, spent two nights in an intensive care unit at an English hospital. “During his return flight home from Santiago, Chile, he became violently ill,” said John’s representative in a statement. “Thankfully, Elton’s medical team identified this quickly and treated it successfully. He is expected to make a full and complete recovery.”

The singer was released on Sunday and posted on Twitter Tuesday that he was looking forward to returning to his tour. “Woke up to an avalanche of well wishes,” he said. “Thanks to everyone for reaching out. I’m resting well and looking forward to getting back on tour.”

The shows canceled included runs of his “Million Dollar Piano” show at the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, as well as a single show in Bakersfield, California, on May 6. “I am so fortunate to have the most incredible and loyal fans and apologize for disappointing them,” John said in a statement. “I am extremely grateful to the medical team for their excellence in looking after me so well.”

This is the singer’s fourth major hospitalization in the past decade. He was forced to cancel shows in 2009 after coming down with a serious E. coli infection and the flu in 2009. Then he suffered from a respiratory infection in 2012 and appendicitis in 2013.