The end of the New Zealand and Australia leg of his farewell tour in February was marred by his ill health.
And now Elton John, 73, has announced he is unable to go ahead with the next leg in the United States due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In an announcement via his official Twitter on Thursday, a statement on behalf of the British star explained: ‘It is with deep regret that Elton John must postpone the remainder of his upcoming North American 2020 dates on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour from May 22 through July 8.’
Postponed: Elton John, 73, has announced he is unable to go ahead with the next leg of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour in the United States due to the coronavirus pandemic
The statement continued: ‘Previously postponed performances were from March 26 through May 2, 2020.’
‘This tough decision has been made with the continued safety and well-being of his fans at a time when health services are under increased pressure and with the concern that these gatherings continue to risk accelerating the spread of the Coronavirus [COVID-19].’
For those who’d been planning to attend the now postponed shows, the statement said their tickets would be good for the rescheduled dates in 2021 which would be announced soon.
The series of tweets ended with a promise that Elton will perform live around the world again and thanked fans for their ‘endless support’.
‘With deep regret’: A statement on his official Twitter account explained the decision to was made to protect fans and health services as COVID-19 continues to spread
Swansong: The hitmaker announced in January 2018 that he planned to stop touring and would embark on a final three-year series of concerts around the world
Family: Elton, pictured on his 73rd birthday last month, aid he wanted to retire from the road in order to spend more time with husband David Furnish and sons Zachary, nine, and Elijah, seven
The hitmaker announced in January 2018 that he planned to stop touring and would embark on a final three-year series of concerts dubbed the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
He said he wanted to retire from the road in order to spend more time with his husband David Furnish and their sons – Zachary, nine, and Elijah, seven.
The tour, with a planned 300 concerts around the world, kicked off on September 8, 2018, in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The first leg across North America ran until March 2019 before moving to Europe from May to July.
The third leg was back in North America from September to November 2019 and then the recording artist headed Down Under for concerts in Australia and New Zealand from December 2019 through early March 2020.
However, in mid-February, Elton had to end his Auckland concert early due to illness and had to be helped off stage.
As he prepared to sing the lyrics to his hit Daniel, an emotional Elton told the audience that he couldn’t go on.
‘I’ve just completely lost my voice. I can’t sing. I’ve got to go,’ he said, before being escorted off the stage by a medic.
It was revealed he was suffering from walking pneumonia.
Illness: In mid-February, Elton had to end his Auckland, New Zealand, concert early because he was suffering from walking pneumonia and was unable to continue performing
Last week, Elton was among the recording artists who took part in the One World: Together at Home concert that raised money for the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 response and honored frontline health workers..
The eight-hour event was hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert and featured the Rolling Stones, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Lizzo Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney among many others.
Itwas sh own live on multiple online platforms including Amazon Prime Video, Facebook, Instagram, TuneIn, Twitch, Twitter and YouTube.
On Tuesday, it was announced that a 79-track album featuring every live performance will be released by Universal Music.
Primed at the piano: Last week, Elton shared a behind-the-scenes photo alongside husband David Furnish ahead of his performance on the One World: Together at Home concert