Battling COVID again, Ringo Starr cancels rest of tour, including upcoming L.A. show
Ringo Starr is back on the road, this time hitting the festival circuit in support of his new album, “The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” which will be released on Aug. 26.
“To put it mildly,” the 78-year-old rocker said in a statement on his website, “I have not had a good few weeks.”
Starr, who was diagnosed with lymphoma in December 2013, said he had “felt great” this week but then began “a very gradual downhill slide” that was getting worse through the weekend.
“The last few days have been the worst. The doctor finally said to me, ‘Ringo, stop,’ and that’s what I’m doing. The virus really has taken a lot out of me, I just don’t have the energy here anymore.
“I’m going to miss all these shows. I’m going to miss them but I am determined to get these shows back on the road at least for a very short time until I am back in the land of the living.”
After his announcement, Starr made a series of apologies and said his schedule would be rearranged accordingly. He had previously canceled performances on the East Coast, including a Saturday night show at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
He added that he would probably be canceling a lot of other major tour dates around the country, “and it will be right after the release of the Sgt. Pepper album.”
The album, released as the world prepares to battle the coronavirus pandemic, has been his most personal work in decades. His previous release, 2014’s “HonkyTonk Women,” was his first in three decades.
Starr is also slated to perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Gala for the group on Sunday, Feb. 22 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. He will be joined by two other members, Ringo and Paul McCartney (Ringo’s brother and his former Beatle bandmate) and Pete Best, who was a drummer with The Beatles and other acts that