Why Randy Newman Suddenly Canceled His Tour

Randy Newman’s upcoming tour in Europe has been postponed indefinitely while he recovers from a major surgery. Last month, Newman made a post on his website informing fans that he had broken his neck and needed time to recover before he could perform. The 78-year-old seemed confident that he would be able to return to the stage in time.

Newman is best known these days for compositions like “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story, but he has a career as a singer-songwriter going back about half a century. Fans were gearing up to see him perform hits from throughout his career in a tour this year, but sadly he won’t be able to make it. In his announcement, he wrote: “Recently, I noticed I was shrinking. People over whom I had towered now towered over me. Could this be payback for having written ‘Short People?’ Turns out, my neck was broken.”

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“They operated on me successfully, I think,” Newman continued. “For even now, I look less like an anteater and more like a folk-rock artist from the early sixties. But the doctor said I’m not quite ready to tour. I was really looking forward to coming to Europe to perform. I miss performing a great deal and I look forward to a time when I can come. I’m sorry I won’t see you this time but I will see you soon.”

Newman did not give any further details on his broken neck – including whether it was a singular injury or some kind of stress fracture. It’s unclear when his upcoming tour dates will be rescheduled, but he is active online and on social media, so fans can expect an update straight from him when he has one. His post also says that ticket-holders will be contacted by their point of purchase with information on new dates or refunds if necessary. Newman’s tour is called “An Evening with Randy Newman” and was supposed to begin later this month.

Newman was born in Los Angeles and split his early years between there and New Orleans, explaining the southern accent in some of his recordings. Newman began working as a singer-songwriter at the age of 17 and quickly landed studio work with performers like Gene Pitney, Jerry Butler, Petula Clark and Dusty Springfield, among others. He had massive hits throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Newman began his career as a film composer at the same time, though most of his more iconic works in that genre came in the 1990s when he began working with Disney and Pixar. He has scored 9 Disney/Pixar films: Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Cars, Toy Story 3, Monsters University, Cars 3 and Toy Story 4. At one point, Newman held the record for the most Oscar nominations without a single win with 15 nominations to his name. That streak was finally broken in 2002 when he won Best Original Song for “If I Didn’t Have You” in Monsters, Inc.

Newman announced his surgery and his tour postponement on Wednesday, March 2, and so far there have been no updates on his condition or his schedule.