Rod Stewart forced to cancel U.S. shows due to illness

Rod Stewart said he is "devastated" after he was forced to cancel upcoming shows in the United States as he recovers from the flu ahead of his big festival gig.

The 80-year-old singer took to Instagram to explain why he was canceling four shows and rescheduling two others as he continues his recovery.

"I have to cancel and reschedule my next six concerts in June as I continue to recover from the flu," he wrote. "So sorry my friends. I'm devastated and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience to my fans. I'll be back on stage and will see you soon."

He signed off "Sir Rod" with a broken heart emoji. It was not immediately clear how long Stewart has been recovering from the flu.

The canceled shows were scheduled for Las Vegas and Stateline, Nevada, between June 7 and June 14. Two shows in Rancho Mirage and Paso Robles, California, were rescheduled for September.

Stewart recently performed at the American Music Awards and received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his career spanning more than 60 years.

BBC News reported that Stewart is set to perform at the Glastonbury Festival later this month. The website reported the singer had previously said he intended to stop playing "large-scale world tours" at the end of 2025 but was "proud, ready and more than able to pleasure and titillate my friends at Glastonbury." His set is expected to draw some 100,000 fans.

The other headliners at this year's Glastonbury Festival include The 1975, Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo.