Kings of Leon Cancel Tour After Family Tragedy

By Allison Schonter

American rock band Kings of Leon has canceled the rest of their U.S. tour following the death of bandmates Caleb, Nathan, and Jared Followill's mother, Betty Ann Murphy. The band announced in a social media post on Thursday, Sept. 30 that they "decided to cancel all remaining tour dates through October" in order "to be with our families" as they mourn their mother's loss. The U.S. portion of the tour, which is in support of their latest album, When You See Yourself, was set to conclude on Oct. 9 at Chicago's be with our families.

Murphy's passing was separately confirmed in an Instagram post by Nathan on Friday. In sharing the tragic news, Nathan, the oldest of the trio of brothers who make up three-quarters of the Kings of Leon, shared a throwback photo of himself as a child with his mom as he wrote, "my heart is broken. My beautiful mother and biggest fan has passed on from this life and into the next." Nathan, who also revealed a tattoo of his mother's name, said that he "will cherish the memories I made with her and her legacy will live on through me, my brothers and our beautiful families" and expressed thanks "for all of the kind words and prayers. Hug your mothers extra tight tonight."

The tour's cancellation came just days after the band, known for hits including "Use Somebody" and "Sex on Fire," on Sept. 23 cancelled a pair of dates at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California and Ohana Festival in Dana Point, California. In a social media post at the time, the band explained that their mother had been dealing with an unspecified "medical crisis for the last several weeks" and had taken "a turn for the worse."

"Our mother, who many of our fans know and love, has been dealing with a medical crisis for the last several weeks and while it has been hard to take the stage each night, it has been the love and energy from you, our fans, that has gotten us through. Just before taking the stage at The Forum, we learned she took a turn for the worse. It was a hard show to get through, but you held us up that night in a way we will never forget," they wrote. "Immediately following the show, we all flew home, where we will remain by her side until the time comes to say goodbye."

Kings of Leon formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. In addition to the three Followill brothers, the band also includes Matthew Followill, their cousin. Released on March 5, When You See Yourself is the group's eighth studio album. The band kicked off their tour for the album in August, with the tour initially scheduled to take them to 26 shows in 25 cities. The affected October dates include shows at White River Amphitheatre in Auburn Washington (Oct. 1), Virginia's Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater (Oct. 3), Indiana's Ruoff Music Center (Oct. 7), and the Oct. 9 closing show at Chicago's Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of