Neal Preston © Queen Productions Ltd.Brian May has revealed some alarming health news. The Queen guitarist has announced that “a persistent illness” has forced him to postpone indefinitely his “Candlelit Christmas Tour” of the U.K. with singer Kerry Ellis that had been scheduled for December.
In a message posted on his official website, May writes, “I have been increasingly battling with a persistent illness which is destroying my energy and my will. I am now at the point where I don’t feel confident to perform the scheduled shows to the standard we all expect. I’ve been strongly advised to rest and heal, rather than go out and risk ‘falling down on the job’ out there, which would be a real tragedy.”
The 69-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer also noted that although he managed to finish a series of Asian concerts with Queen and Adam Lambert recently, his health issues made it inevitable that he cancel the dates with Ellis.
The tour was to have featured 11 dates in various U.K. cities, and had been scheduled to run from a December 7 concert in Dorking Hills through a December 23 gig in Guilford.
May and Ellis, who was an original cast member of the Queen-themed musical We Will Rock You, still have plans to release a new album titled Anthems II in March.
Kerry says in a statement about the postponed trek, “Brian is a dear friend of mine and obviously his health must come first…But we will be back next year for sure, with new music for you all to hear.”
In late 2013 and early 2014, May revealed that he’d been experiencing severe back pains and had been tested for cancer, and that those tests, fortunately, came back negative. It isn’t known if Brian’s current issues are related to that health crisis.
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