Elton John Cancels Concert Due to Illness Following Shocking Death of Mother-In-Law Gladys Furnish

Elton John postponed his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour stop in Indianapolis for a second time on Saturday. Bankers Life Fieldhouse cited an “illness” as the reason for the postponement, but it also comes after John’s husband, David Furnish, announced the death of his mother. The show has since been rescheduled for March 2020.

The show was first scheduled for Friday, Oct. 25, but was already postponed to Saturday, reports WTHR. On Saturday, it was rescheduled again for Thursday, March 26, 2020.

“Due to illness, Elton John‘s concert slated for tonight, Saturday, October 26, 2019 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 26, 2020,” reads a tweet posted on the venue’s Twitter page. “We do apologize for any inconvenience caused by this necessary change and wish Elton a speedy recovery.”

John, 72, also shared a message for his fans on Instagram. The message did not reference the death of Furnish’s mother.

“To my dear fans in Indianapolis, it is with the heaviest heart that I’m forced to deliver the news that I am extremely unwell and therefore unable to perform at [Bankers Life Fieldhouse] tonight. I absolutely hate to let my fans down, but I owe it to you to put on the best [Elton Farewell Tour] show possible and unfortunately that’s simply not possible,” the statement read. “The date will be rearranged for March 26th 2020, and I promise I will deliver the show you deserve. Thank you so much for your support and understanding.”

On Thursday, Furnish announced the death of his mother, Gladys Furnish, on Instagram. He included a picture from his parents’ wedding.

“Today I lost my beautiful, angelic Mother. She passed away peacefully in the middle of the night, with me and my brothers by her side,” Furnish wrote. “Mum radiated gentle kindness. She was utterly devoted to her family. We all richly benefitted from her patient wisdom and bountiful love.”

The movie producer later added, “Rest in peace Mum. You lived your life impeccably. I will never forget you. I promise to do my best to pass the gifts you gave to me on to my own beautiful sons.”

John began his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour in September 2018 and plans to make it his final international tour. John will finish the third leg of the tour in Uniondale, New York on Nov. 16 before starting a leg in Australia and New Zealand.

The rescheduled Indianapolis show will take place during a break John planned in March, before another North American leg starts on April 6 in New York City. The sixth and final leg of the tour is scheduled for Fall 2020 and takes John thorugh the major cities of Europe before finishing in London on Dec. 17, 2020.

John recently published his first autobiography, simply titled Me, earlier this month. His life was also the topic of the movie Rocketman, starring Taron Edgerton as the singer.

Photo credit: Getty Images