André Rieu was forced to cancel the remaining dates of his December UK arena tour after a member of his orchestra had a heart attack.
The 67-year-old classical musician will no longer be performing in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow as he didn’t feel it would be right to continue with the shows without the unnamed member, who took ill on Saturday (17.12.16) and remains in a critical condition, as they’ve never not performed all together in the 25 years they’ve being touring the world.
In a statement issued to BANG Showbiz, André said: "It is with deep regret that I have decided to also postpone my concerts in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow. This should have been the most wonderful time of the year, and we were looking forward to bringing joy and happiness to all of you, our beloved audience. But many of my orchestra members have been with me for more than 25 years.
"We are a family. We are deeply saddened by this tragic event and it is impossible for us to continue our tour as planned. Thank you all so much for your understanding in this difficult moment. Our hearts and thoughts are now with our colleague and his family."
The Dutch violinist and conductor has vowed to reschedule the shows, which included two nights at The SSE Arena, Wembley on Monday (19.12.16) and Tuesday (20.12.16) night, as soon as possible.
André Rieu’s cancelled tour dates are as follows:
Monday December 19 and Tuesday December 20 at The SSE Arena, Wembley
Wednesday December 21 at The Genting Arena, Birmingham
Thursday December 22 at The Manchester Arena
Friday December 23 at The SSE Hydro, Glasgow