Bocelli death threat claims as new star quits concert
OPERA star Andrea Bocelli backed out of singing at Donald Trump’s inauguration after receiving death threats, The Mail on Sunday has learnt.
The revelation came as another singer – Broadway legend Jennifer Holliday – last night pulled out of the President-elect’s festivities after being threatened and branded an ‘Uncle Tom’.
When blind tenor Bocelli announced he would not sing at this Friday’s celebration, it was widely reported it was because fans had said they would boycott his concerts and records.
But a source said the 58-year-old had been determined to ‘press ahead’ and sing but had pulled out on the advice of his security team after receiving threats to his life.
A source close to Bocelli, a friend of Trump’s, said: ‘Andrea is very sad to be missing the chance to sing at such a huge global event but he has been advised it is simply not worth the risk.’ Singer Holliday, 56, famed for her performance as Effie in Dreamgirls, had originally said she was ‘determined’ to sing for Trump despite voting against him.
She also denounced the abuse she was getting and called it an attack on freedom of speech.
However, last night she said that she had not realised her participation in the inauguration show would be interpreted as support for the President-elect.
Holliday, who has performed for the Clintons, both George W Bush and his father, and the Reagans, issued a statement apologising to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender fans for being ‘uneducated’ on the issues. She wrote: ‘My only choice must now be to stand with the LGBT community and to state unequivocally that I will not perform for the welcome concert or for any of the inauguration festivities.’ Stars including Elton John and Celine Dion have declined invitations to sing at the ceremony. Only a handful of relatively unknown performers have been confirmed, including singer Jackie Evancho, who won America’s Got Talent, and country star Toby Keith, who is little known outside the US. A spokesman for Bocelli declined to comment.