Elvis Costello forced to cancel tour after 'aggressive' cancer battle and surgery

Legendary singer Elvis Costello has revealed he’s battling a ‘very aggressive’ cancer and has been forced to cancel his current tour.

Costello, 63, has been ordered by doctors to rest, after he underwent surgery on an aggressive tumour.

An official statement on his website read: ‘Six weeks ago my specialist called me and said, ‘You should start playing the Lotto’. He had rarely, if ever, seen such a small but very aggressive cancerous malignancy that could be defeated by a single surgery.

‘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.

‘It was impossible to judge how this advisory would line up with the demands on a ravelling musician, playing 90-minute to 2-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.’

He went on to apologise to his fans who’d bought tickets:’ My apologies go to our ticket holders in Manchester, Pula, Graz, Vienna, Tysnes and Rattvik but I would rather disappoint our friends there by not appearing than in pressing on with a show that is compromised and eventually puts my health at risk.’

Costello was meant to perform at the six remaining locations but despite being forced to pull out he was, in the early stages, initially ‘elated and relieved’ to be touring again.

His statement ended optimistically though, citing new music material: ‘To leave you with some more optimistic news, The Imposters and I -together with several of our other friends – have made a magnificent new record of which we are truly proud. It will be issued in October, I believe. We will return at the soonest opportunity to play that music and your favourite songs that still make sense to us all.’

The singer signed off with: ‘Take very good care of your loved ones but Gentleman, do talk to you friends – you’ll find you are not alone – seek your doctor’s advice if you are in doubt or when it is timely and act as swiftly as you may in these matters,’ implying that the cancer he had was testicular but has so far not been specified.

‘It may save your life. Believe me, it is better than playing roulette,’ he concluded.

If you need more information on coping with cancer, visit Cancer Research UK.

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