Lionel Richie pulls out of Isle of Wight and other 2022 gigs due to COVID-19

Watch: Lionel Richie cancels 2022 European and UK shows

Lionel Richie has pulled out of The Isle Of Wight Festival and cancelled his 2022 European tour, blaming the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 72-year-old singer was due to headline the live music event at Seaclose Park on the weekend of 16-19 June 2022 along with Lewis Capaldi and Kasabian.

Richie tweeted: "As COVID and its variants continue to impact the world, I have decided to hold off on my European tour this summer. The most important thing to me is the health of my fans, band and crew.

"I hope you all understand and I hope to see you very soon when we can all gather safely. Please visit individual festival/event websites for further information and details on how to collect refunds."

Read more: Elton John reveals he has COVID-19, postpones tour

The Hello singer had originally been billed to headline the festival in June 2021 but pulled out of the event when it was rescheduled for September.

Richie had been due to perform at venues including Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, as well as Cardiff Castle, Hampton Court Palace and in Nottingham, Dublin and Scarborough throughout June and July as part of his Hello! Hits tour.

He also had dates scheduled in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

The American Idol judge is currently performing a Las Vegas residency at the Wynn resort and casino across 12 nights until 9 April.

The Isle of Wight Festival is still scheduled to go ahead with acts including Lewis Capaldi, Kasabian, Muse, Nile Rodgers, Shaggy and Pete Tong all signed up to perform.

Elton John was recently forced to postpone to shows in Dallas, Texas as part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, after he tested positive for COVID-19.

A spokesperson for the 74-year-old singer said: "Fortunately, Elton is fully vaccinated and boosted, and is experiencing only mild symptoms. Fans should hold on to their tickets as they will be honoured at the rescheduled dates to be announced soon. Elton and the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour look forward to returning to the stage shortly."

Sir Elton announced his latest world tour, which he had planned to be his last, in 2018. The 300-date tour was originally scheduled to take three years, but has been delayed by the pandemic.

Adele recently cancelled her Las Vegas residency at just 24 hours notice.

Read more: Lionel Richie explains why he wished his daughter would fail in showbusiness

The Easy On Me singer tearfully announced on social that she was postponing her shows at the last minute because they weren't ready.

She apologised to fans she blamed the coronavirus pandemic, claiming "half my team have COVID".

Watch: Lionel Richie compares 16-year-old rocker girl to Janis Joplin following incredible performance