Elton John delays European tour dates after hip injury

English singer Elton John on Thursday announced he will be pushing the European dates of his farewell tour due to a worsening hip injury.

The 74-year-old singer-songwriter said "with great sadness and a heavy heart" that the "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour would be rescheduled for 2023.

"At the end of my summer break I fell awkwardly on a hard surface and have been in considerable pain and discomfort in my hip ever since," the '’I'm Still Standing" singer said in statement that left many fans on Twitter "absolutely gutted."

"Despite intensive physio and specialist treatment, the pain has continued to get worse and is leading to increasing difficulties moving," he added.

A delayed farewell

John's final tour that began in 2018, will now extend to 2023 to complete all the planned shows. Many of the original 300 dates were already delayed due to the pandemic. 

Earlier this month, the artist announced that he had completed an album, "The Lockdown Sessions," which features collaborations with artists such as Miley Cyrus and Gorillaz. The album will be released in October.

After a performance on September 25 as part of the mammoth series of Global Citizen gigs happening around the world, John will be undergoing surgery.

Return planned post-surgery 

John's scheduled appearances for late 2021 have now been rescheduled for the following year. 

The artist said he "will be having the operation to ensure the tour can get back on the road in January of 2022 in New Orleans."

He added that it "breaks my heart" to keep fans waiting and promised to return and make the shows "more than worth the wait."

The artist's last shows were originally scheduled for Auckland, New Zealand in early 2023.

go/rt (AFP, Reuters, AP)