Elvis Costello scraps last leg of tour after cancer surgery

Singer-songwriter Elvis Costello announced on Friday that he was cancelling the remainder of his European tour after revealing that he had undergone surgery for cancer.

Costello, 63, whose hits include Oliver’s Army, Everyday I Write The Book, and Alison, said that he had been forced to call off the final six dates of his tour, including concerts in Croatia, Austria, Norway, and Sweden.

“Six weeks ago, my specialist called me and said, ‘You should start playing the Lotto,’” Costello said in a statement. “He had rarely, if ever, seen such a small but very aggressive cancerous malignancy that could be defeated by a single surgery.”

The artist said that he had been elated that the tour could go ahead, but didn’t realise the demands that playing long performances on a nightly basis would have on him. His doctor has now advised him to take a break and rest.

“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,” he said. “Therefore, I must reluctantly cancel all the remaining engagements of this tour.”

Costello, born Declan Patrick MacManus in London, rose to fame in the 1970s and has produced a string of influential albums with his bands, The Attractions and The Imposters. He said he’d have a new record in October. “We will return at the soonest opportunity to play that music and your favourite songs that still make sense to us all,” he said.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK Elvis Costello will have a new album out this year