Radiohead Guitarist Jonny Greenwood Cancels Tour After 'Emergency Hospital Treatment'

Greenwood was admitted to an intensive care unit due to his illness.

By Ashley Turner

The music industry was rocked by unexpected news as The Smile, a rising supergroup featuring Radiohead members, announced the cancellation of their highly anticipated European tour. The reason behind this sudden change of plans? A serious health scare involving Jonny Greenwood, the 52-year-old guitarist and keyboardist known for his work with both bands.

On Friday, The Smile, which features Greenwood alongside Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner, released a statement detailing the alarming situation. The band revealed that Greenwood had fallen "seriously ill" due to an infection that necessitated urgent medical intervention, including a stint in the intensive care unit.

The statement, shared across social media platforms, explained, "A few days ago, Jonny became seriously ill from an infection that needed emergency hospital treatment, some of it in intensive care. Mercifully he is now out of danger and will soon return home." The band continued, "We have been instructed by the medical team in charge of Jonny's care to cancel all engagements until he has had time to make a full recovery. To that end, the Smile tour of Europe in August is cancelled."

Following the advice of Greenwood's medical team, The Smile has been compelled to cancel all scheduled engagements to allow the musician sufficient time for a complete recovery. This decision has resulted in the cancellation of their August European tour, which was set to include performances in Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, and Poland. The band had most recently performed at the Roma Summer Fest in Rome on June 24.

The Smile, which debuted with a surprise performance at Glastonbury's Live at Worthy Farm stream in May 2021, has rapidly gained popularity since its inception. The group has released two critically acclaimed albums: A Light for Attracting Attention in April 2022 and Wall of Eyes in January 2024. Both records achieved top 10 status in the UK charts, cementing the band's position as a major musical force.

The news of Greenwood's illness comes during a period of individual projects for the members of Radiohead. The band has not released new material as a collective since their 2016 album A Moon-Shaped Pool. However, they have been actively revisiting their catalog, reissuing Kid A with bonus content as Kid A Mnesia in 2021 and sharing archival music and material in 2019 and 2020.

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Other Radiohead members have pursued solo projects during this hiatus from group activities. Yorke composed the score for Suspiria in 2018 and released his solo album Anima in 2019. Guitarist Ed O'Brien launched his solo venture Earth in 2020, featuring contributions from bassist Colin Greenwood. Drummer Philip Selway released Strange Dance in 2023, while Jonny Greenwood collaborated with Dudu Tassa on their joint album Jarak Qaribak in the same year.

The band assured ticket holders that refunds for canceled shows will be available soon. They concluded their statement with a heartfelt message: "We all wish Jonny a speedy recovery."

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