Ringo Starr has cancelled the remaining shows of his US tour due to illness.
The legendary drummer for The Beatles has been taken ill and was forced to miss his concert in Philadelphia on Tuesday on ‘doctor’s orders.’
He also cancelled his Radio City Music Hall gig in New York City on Wednesday night.
Ringo, 84, and his team made a statement on social media to explain the cancellations and reassure fans that Ringo was ultimately doing fine.
The statement read: ‘Ringo has come down with a cold and after consulting a doctor he was advised to cancel these two remaining shows and get rest.
‘As always, Ringo and the All Starrs send peace and love to their fans and hope to see them soon.’
The message also assured ticket holders that refunds are being given to fans who had tickets for the two cancelled dates, stating: ‘Ticket holders will be notified via email and will be automatically refunded. Or should contact their point of purchase for refunds.’
The iconic musician and his All Starr Band kicked off their latest string of dates on September 7 and played 10 shows across the US, with Ringo last onstage on September 22 in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Ringo’s latest solo release was the EP Crooked Boy in April. The EP features the Strokes’ guitarist Nick Valensi and was written by songwriter and producer Linda Perry.
In an interview with Variety, Ringo explained that he asked Linda to write more rock songs for the project, going back to his roots.
He said: ‘Even on February Sky, it was all about the dark sky everywhere in February, so that’s an emotion in there. But I told her, “There’s gotta be a crack — a break in the sky — and the sun is coming out.” Because all my songs have that. They can be “I’m down, I’m this, I’m that… But things are getting better, things are going up.” They always have a positive upside.’
He continued: ‘Rewind Forward [the title song of his previous EP, from 2023] was like that. ‘Rewind forward’ meant, sometimes you’re in a mood, and if you just backtrack a little and then find that (previous) space, and then carry on from that moment, it helps sometimes.’
He added: ‘(At first) she wrote Crooked Boy, and it was all about the story of my life — you know, I was ill, I was better, I found my own way.
‘She sent me a couple of them, and then I called her and I said, “Linda, write me a rock song!” And she says, “What’s that?” I said, “I’ll leave it there. Just write me a rock song.” And she did, of course, and it’s called Gonna Need Need Someone. And it did rock, and she put the band together, and then we did a video with the song playing and we are popping in and out.’
Recently, Ringo took to social media to celebrate his 84th birthday with fans.
To mark the occasion, he asked people to participate in his global Peace and Love event, inviting fans to say or post the words ‘peace and love.’
In a video posted to his Instagram Page, Sir Ringo looked ageless in a tee shirt and his trademark sunglasses as he announced the initiative.
He said: ‘OK, Peace and Love, here we go again!’ he said in the clip.
‘Thanks for joining me on my birthday. I am so grateful to you all for helping me promote Peace and Love.
‘I want to give special thanks to all the peace and love ambassadors – we are in 34 countries! Thanks for doing it – and I gotta thank all the fans, peace and love – just join me in your mind, or on the bus or wherever you are on the 7th of the 7th just go “peace and love” at noon your local time.’
Now, in the wake of the cancelled tour dates, many fans who participated in the trend are turning their love in Ringo’s direction and wishing him a speedy recovery.