Elvis Costello Cancels European Tour Dates Following Cancer Surgery

UK music legend ​Elvis Costello​ has cancelled the remaining dates of his European tour to recover from a recent surgery he underwent due to a cancer scare.

The 63-year-old apologised to his fans in a statement posted to Facebook.

"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," the statement reads.

"I was elated and relieved that our European summer tour could go ahead.

"Post-surgical guidelines for such surgery, recommend three weeks to four weeks recovery depending on whether you are returning to a desk job or an occupation that involves physical work or travel."

It continues, "My apologies go to our ticket holders in Manchester, Pula, Graz, Vienna, Tysnes and Rattvik but I would rather disappoint our friends there by not appearing than in pressing on with a show that is compromised and
eventually puts my health at risk."

Costello did have some positive news to share however, also confirming that he has finished a "magnificent new record" that is due out in October.

The album will be Costello's first studio effort since 2010's ​National Ransom​, not including his 2013 joint record with The Roots, Wise Up Ghost​.

Read the full post below.