Yahoo News Elton John 'overwhelmed' by fans' kindness after contracting 'potentially deadly' infection
Sir Elton John has said he is "overwhelmed with gratitude" from an "avalanche of kindness" after revealing he contracted a bacterial infection in South America that put him in intensive care.
The singer disclosed on Monday night that he became "violently ill" during a flight back to Britain from Santiago, Chile, where he performed on April 10.
The 70-year-old has cancelled a series of forthcoming performances as he recovers from the serious illness that a spokesman described as "potentially deadly".
Posting a picture on Instagram of him on stage, Sir Elton wrote on Tuesday morning that he is "getting stronger every day" - and told fans he will be back on tour in June.
A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn) on Apr 25, 2017 at 2:56am PDT
Sir Elton said: "Woke up this morning to an avalanche of kindness and well wishes. I'm overwhelmed with gratitude.
"Thanks so much to everyone for reaching out. I'm resting well and getting stronger every day. I'm looking forward to getting back on tour in June."
Sir Elton fell ill after the final show at the end of a six-concert tour that also included stops in Brazil and Argentina.
He was admitted to hospital back in Britain and spent two nights in intensive care.
"During his return flight home from Santiago, Chile he became violently ill. Upon returning to the UK, Sir Elton's doctors admitted him to hospital, where he underwent immediate treatment to remove the infection," a statement on behalf of the singer said on Monday night.
"After spending two nights in intensive care followed by an extended stay in hospital, Elton was released from hospital on Saturday, April 22 and is now comfortably resting at home per doctors advice."
Sir Elton apologised to his fans and praised the medical care he had received.
"I am so fortunate to have the most incredible and loyal fans and apologise for disappointing them," he said in a statement. "I am extremely grateful to the medical team for their excellence in looking after me so well." he said.
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Sir Elton cancelled the April and May dates of his Las Vegas residency and a show in Bakersfield, California - six dates in total - but is expected to make a full recovery and hopes to return for his concert at Twickenham on June 3.
"Infections of this nature are rare and potentially deadly. Thankfully, Elton's medical team identified this quickly and treated it successfully. He is expected to make a full and complete recovery," the statement said.
The South America tour, which also featured American singer James Taylor, was hailed as a success.
Sir Elton has continued to tour despite reports last year that he was preparing to retire to spend more time with his family. He has two sons, Zachary and Elijah, with husband David Furnish.
In a career spanning half a century, he has sold more than 300 million records as well as dedicating considerable time to charity work.
The Elton John Aids Foundation has raised nearly £300 million in efforts to stop the disease.
Sir Elton, a Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner for his work in film and theatre, is working on a score for a Broadway musical adaptation of the comedy-drama The Devil Wears Prada.
In December last year, Sir Elton postponed a concert in Dubai twice after falling ill.
However, that rescheduled show was subsequently itself postponed to December 2017.
In December 2015, Sir Elton was pictured in a wheelchair while on a visit to Disneyland with Furnish and Elijah. It was unclear why he was using the wheelchair and there was no statement from his representatives at the time.
In 2013, Sir Elton told The Telegraph that an illness that summer had made him reconsider his approach.
He was forced to cancel a concert at Hyde Park when he was diagnosed with appendicitis requiring immediate surgery.
“I knew I was sick but I didn’t know I had such a dangerous thing inside of me until I had a scan, which was after nine shows, 24 flights and a summer ball. I could have easily died,” he said.
“Of course, your sense of your mortality kicks in. This is a wake-up call. I’m not 36 anymore. I want to write another musical for Broadway and I want to spend more time with my children. I don’t have to tour. I don’t need the money. I just love playing.
"When I had the operation, I said: 'This has got to stop, this is crazy, why am I doing this?’ I’m a great believer in signs coming to you in life to tell you something. This appendix thing, it’s so lucky I didn’t die. So I’m treating is as a sign in great big letters saying ‘for ----’s sake, get a grip!'”
