Elvis Costello cancels tour as he undergoes cancer surgery

‘The spirit has been willing but I have to accept it is going to take longer than I would have wished’

ELVIS COSTELLO has been treated for an aggressive form of cancer, he disclosed yesterday as he pulled out of his European tour.

The singer said he was lucky that his surgery had been successful – so lucky that his doctor had joked Costello should start playing the Lottery – but that he needed time off to recuperate.

He had already performed several shows with fans unaware of his diagnosis but had to cancel the remaining six dates. In a statement, Costello, 63, said: “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. Post-surgical guidelines for such surgery recommend three 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 travelling musician, playing 90-minute to two-hour plus performances on a nightly basis, but by the time we reached the Edinburgh Playhouse I was almost fooled into thinking normal service had been resumed.” Four shows later, Costello said, and “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.”

Costello, whose real name is Declan Patrick Macmanus, apologised to fans but said he would rather disappoint them than be “pressing on with a show that is compromised and eventually puts my health at risk”.

He urged others to seek medical advice if they ever had any worrying symptoms. He said: “Act as swiftly as you may in these matters. It may save your life. Believe me, it is better than playing roulette.”