Country music icon Kenny Rogers has announced that he was to cancel the final dates of his farewell world tour citing “health challenges”.
The 79-year-old musician has enjoyed a long and prolific career since the 1950s. Back in 2015, he announced that he would be playing a farewell world tour titled ‘The Gambler’s Last Deal’. Though he did say that he would be retiring from performing live, not necessarily from recording music.
Now, with only eight dates left scheduled, Rogers has pulled out of the rest of the tour. His management released a statement yesterday (April 4) that noted that “his doctors fully expect the outcome to be great” but the country singer was advised to cancel his tour in order “to focus on recuperation”.
Following the announcement, Rogers said himself: “I didn’t want to take forever to retire. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to say farewell to fans over the course of the past two years.”
In an interview with Rolling Stone last year, Kenny Rogers noted that his health was starting to waver: “his is all I’ve done for 60 years, but my mobility has gotten kind of strange, and I don’t like to go on stage and have to apologise”.
See the cancelled dates below:
04/28 – Reno, NV – Silver Legacy Casino
04/29 – Indio, CA – Stagecoach Festival
05/31 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts
06/01 – Lincoln, RI – Twin River Casino
06/02 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
06/03 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
06/30 – Lake Charles, LA – Golden Nugget Lake Charles
08/25 – Blackpool, UK – Livewire Festival