Engelbert Humperdinck, Beloved Singer, Struck With Serious Illness

By Daniel S. Levine

Singer Engelbert Humperdinck has been forced to cancel his upcoming concerts in the U.K. after he was struck with a serious viral infection that left him "completely incapacitated." The 85-year-old said he hopes to reschedule the shows for next year. Humperdinck, whose real name is Arnold George Dorsey, has sold over 140 million records worldwide and is best known for a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s on both sides of the Atlantic.

"My Dear Fans, I am so upset in having to relate to you that we have to cancel our UK tour. I have come down with a viral bronchial infection & am being treated for it now. This has never happened before and I so much wanted to see all of you in the 14 cities," Humperdinck wrote in a statement posted on his Twitter page and website on Nov. 10. "We are going to reschedule the shows for early next year. Stay well and remember......I love you."

Humperdinck's representative also told The Sun he came down with a "very unpleasant viral illness" that left him "completely incapacitated for a few days." He canceled shows in Manchester and Cambridge just before they were set to start. He also had shows in Sheffield, Bournemouth, Basingstoke, and Leicester postponed. He is scheduled to start a series of U.S. performances at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort in Ranch Mirage, California on Dec. 4. No announcements have been made for those shows yet.

"Engelbert is one of the hardest-working stars in showbiz and he got everyone worried when he got sick," an insider told The Sun. "He is a total professional and wants to get back on track as soon as possible but no one wants him to push himself too hard."

The fall U.K. tour was Humperdinck's first since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Before the tour began, Humperdinck told Hollywood Soapbox this was the longest break of his career. "It's 19 months since I've been on stage performing, and it'll be nice to get back on the road again and do these things, to see fans and friends," Humperdinck said. "It's going to be good. I'm looking forward to it very much. There's definitely a little bit of nervousness involved."

"I've never been off this long in my life. I've done world tours every year, and I've always performed every month of the year everywhere all the time," the singer continued. "Since the pandemic, there's been nothing, and it's quite nerve-racking actually to know that I'm going to go back. It's like starting all over again, but it's exciting."

Humperdinck was one of the best-selling artists in the U.K. during the 1960s, thanks to hits like "Release Me," "The Last Waltz," "Am I That Easy to Forget," and "A Man Without Love." During the 1970s, he earned hits in the U.S. with "After The Lovin'" and "This Moment in Time." His latest release is an EP, Regards, featuring covers of Willie Nelson's "Funny How Time Slips Away," The Everly Brothers' "Let It Be Me," Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World," Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas" and a new orchestral take on Charlie Chaplin's "Smile." The EP will be released on Friday.

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