London, July 6 (IANS) Legendary singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, 63, has been diagnosed with cancer.
Costello made the announcement via Facebook on Friday, and cancelled the remaining dates of his ongoing tour, reports eonline.com.
"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," the 63-year-old musician said.
"I was elated and relieved that our European summer tour could go ahead. 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," added the performer, who was born as Declan Patrick MacManus.
He had been scheduled to perform in Austria, Croatia, Norway, Sweden and the UK.
"It was impossible to judge how this advisory would line up with the demands on a travelling musician, playing 90-minute to 2-hour plus performances on a nightly basis," he wrote.
He thanked those who attended his show in Amsterdam on Thursday, and "those in Antwerp, Glynde and at Newcastle City Hall for bearing me up".
"The spirit has been more than willing but I have to now accept that it is going to take longer than I would have wished for me to recover my full strength. Therefore, I must reluctantly cancel all the remaining engagements of this tour," he added.
While he would have loved to perform for his fans through July 16, Costello added: "I would rather disappoint our friends there by not appearing than pressing on with a show that is compromised and eventually puts my health at risk."
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