Elvis Costello Cancels European Tour Due to ‘Very Aggressive’ Cancer
“It is going to take longer than I would have wished for me to recover my full strength,” says “Alison” singer-songwriter
Meriah Doty | July 6, 2018 @ 6:39 AM
Last Updated: July 6, 2018 @ 8:20 AM
Singer-songwriter Elvis Costello is battling an “aggressive” form of cancer and has canceled the remainder of his current European tour.
The 63-year-old “Alison” singer shared the news on Facebook Friday, saying he has undergone surgery and that recovery will “take longer than I would have wished.”
Concerts dates in the U.K., Croatia, Austria, Norway and Sweden that were previously scheduled through mid-July have been canceled. He also canceled U.K. shows in Southend and Plymouth in June.
The celebrated musician left his fans with some “more optimistic news,” that he and his band The Imposters, along with more contributors, have made a “magnificent new record” expected to release in October.
Here is Costello’s full statement:
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.
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.
It was impossible to judge how this advisory would line up with the demands on a traveling musician, playing 90-minute to 2-hour plus performances on a nightly basis but by the time we reached the Edinburgh Playhouse, I was almost fooled into thinking that normal service had been resumed.
I have to thank our friends attending last night’s show in Amsterdam 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.
My apologies go to our ticket holders in Manchester, Pula, Graz, Vienna, Tysnes and Rattvik but I would rather disappoint our friends there by not appearing than in pressing on with a show that is compromised and eventually puts my health at risk.
My deep thanks go to Pete Thomas, Steve Nieve and Davey Faragher of The Imposters for all their deep friendship, love and support during this upsetting time. Thanks also to Kitten Kuroi and Briana Lee whose beautiful voices have spurred me on to do the singing that I’ve managed, whatever the cost. It goes without saying that there are many others who have worked to get us to the stage and from town to town to whom I am also deeply grateful.
To leave you with some more optimistic news, The Imposters and I – together with several of our other friends – have made a magnificent new record of which we are truly proud. It will be issued in October, I believe. We will return at the soonest opportunity to play that music and your favourite songs that still make sense to us all.
Take very good care of your loved ones but Gentleman, do talk to you friends – you’ll find you are not alone – seek your doctor’s advice if you are in doubt or when it is timely and act as swiftly as you may in these matters. It may save your life. Believe me, it is better than playing roulette.
Yours through music. Elvis Costello
The canceled dates of the remainder of his tour are:
July
Fri 6th UK, Manchester, Castlefield Bowl
Sun 8th CROATIA, Pula, Pula Arena
Mon 9th AUSTRIA, Graz, Kasematten – Schlossberguhne
Weds 11th AUSTRIA, Vienna, Konzerthaus
Sat 14th NORWAY, Tysnes, Tysnesfest Gjesrstad Arena
Mon 16th SWEDEN, Rattvik, Dalhalla
18 Most Embarrassing Celebrity Mug Shots, From Heather Locklear to Chris Brown (Photos)
Celebrity arrests: It's like looking at a car accident. You don't want to give into the tabloids, but part of you also wants to know what they did to deserve a mug shot. Here are 17 arrests that were embarrassing -- either for the celeb or the police who booked 'em.
Smoking Gun
Jane Fonda
The city was Cleveland, Ohio, the year was 1970, and Fonda was fresh off filming "Klute." Customs officers at the airport confiscated her vitamins and arrested her for drug smuggling. The actress was released on bond, and months later, after the pills had been tested, officials admitted they were indeed only vitamins.
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David Bowie
Bowie was arrested in Rochester, New York, in 1976 for pot possession after a concert. He was arrested alongside Iggy Pop and two other co-defendants.
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Shia LeBeouf
Back in 2015, LeBeouf was arrested on an intoxication charge in Austin, Texas. He was released on bail. It's not the only time the actor has been arrested; he was arrested in January in New York during a rally against Donald Trump.
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Lindsay Lohan
Everyone's favorite "Mean Girl" has spent many nights in jail. This mug shot was taken when she was booked into the Lynnwood Correctional Facility to serve three months after breaking her probation following two DUI arrests in 2007.
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Chace Crawford
The former "Gossip Girl" star was arrested in 2010 for marijuana possession under 2 oz before being released.
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Michelle Rodriguez
Rodriguez was arrested in 2006 for drunk driving in Oahu, Hawaii. Given the option between five nights in jail and community service, she chose the jail time.
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Vince Vaughn
While working on a film in North Carolina in 2001, Vaughn was arrested for public fighting. He entered a no contest plea and the charges were dropped after six months.
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Nick Nolte
Nolte was arrested in 2002 for drunk driving by the California Highway Patrol.
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Bill Cosby
This shot was taken when Cosby turned himself in on a charge of aggravated indecent assault for an alleged encounter in 2004. At least 35 women have accused Cosby of assaulting them.
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Paul Reubens
The actor best known as Pee-wee Herman was arrested in July 1991 and charged with indecent exposure at an adult movie house in Sarasota, Florida. He later pleaded no contest, and received a fine as well as order to produce an anti-drug PSA.
Robert Downey Jr.
Downey, Jr. and arrests aren't strangers. This mug shot was taken in 2000 in Palm Springs, when the actor was found possessing drugs months after being released from prison.
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Christian Slater
Slater was arrested in December 1994 for criminal possession of a weapon at an airport in New York. He reached a plea deal, requiring him to work with homeless children for three days.
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Fiona Apple
The singer's mugshot looks like an album cover. She was arrested at a border stop in Texas and was found to have marijuana.
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Patty Hearst
Granddaughter to the news publisher, Hearst was arrested in 1975 on bank robbery and gun charges. President Jimmy Carter commuted her sentence in 1979.
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Rush Limbaugh
The conservative radio host turned himself in on a warrant that charged him with fraud to conceal information to obtain prescriptions in Florida in 2006. He reached a settlement in which he paid $30,000 and agreed to undergo addiction counseling.
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Hugh Grant
The British actor was arrested in 1995 in Hollywood on charges for lewd conduct. He was caught with a hooker by police.
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Heather Locklear
The former "Melrose Place" actress was arrested in Thousand Oaks, California, in February 2018 for domestic violence and battery on a police officer.
Ventura Country Sheriff's Department
Chris Brown
Just after performing a concert in West Palm Beach, Fla., the R&B singer with a long history of legal trouble was arrested in July 2018 on felony assault charges.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office
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From drunk driving to trafficking… vitamins?
Celebrity arrests: It's like looking at a car accident. You don't want to give into the tabloids, but part of you also wants to know what they did to deserve a mug shot. Here are 17 arrests that were embarrassing -- either for the celeb or the police who booked 'em.