A classic rock legend was forced to cancel his farewell concert after he was diagnosed with a “systemic infection” right before the event was scheduled to take place.
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Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) frontman Jeff Lynne was scheduled to appear at the BST Hyde Park festival series in Manchester on Sunday, which would have closed the band’s farewell “Over and Out” tour.
However, a spokesperson for the event announced the rock legend had to cancel the farewell concert. They revealed the issue was a “systemic infection.”
“Jeff Lynne is heartbroken to report that he will not be able to perform at [the] BST Hyde Park show,” the statement reads. “Jeff has been battling a systemic infection and is currently in the care of a team of doctors who have advised him that performing is simply not possible at this time, nor will he be able to reschedule.”
The statement further reveals, “The legacy of the band and his longtime fans are foremost in Jeff’s mind today – and while he is so sorry that he cannot perform, he knows that he must focus on his health and rehabilitation at this time.”
The whole concert, which also included performances by Steve Winwood and the Doobie Brothers, was shut down.
Days before the farewell concert cancellation, the rock legend performed in his hometown of Birmingham.
The Rock Legend Previously Said BST Hyde Park Festival Was the “Perfect Place” for the Final Show
During a recent interview, Lynne stated that the BST Hyde Park festival was the “perfect place” for his farewell concert.
“It seems like the perfect place to do our final show,” he said, per The Guardian. ” We couldn’t be more excited to share this special night in London with our UK fans.”
Lynne founded ELO alongside drummer Bev Bevan and Roy Wood in 1970. The group called it quits in 1986 after Lynne “lost interest” and Bevan founded his own band, ELO Part II.
The rock legend ended up making a brief comeback in 2001. However, he didn’t play with ELO again until 2014. The group rebranded as Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra with pianist Richard Tandy.
Tandy passed away last year, leaving Lynne as the group’s final original member.