Aretha Franklin has been forced to cancel a string of upcoming live shows on medical grounds.
Doctors have advised the soul diva to pull out of at least five concerts to rest up.
She said in a statement: “Due to doctors’ orders I will have to cancel a few concerts for the next month or so.
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Aretha Franklin
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“I’m especially disappointed because two of them are among my favorite cities, Washington D.C. and New York. I don’t want to miss any. I should continue the rest of my tour by November.”
“I decided it was time to go home and take care of myself consistent with doctors’ orders,” she added.
One of the cancelled dates includes a planned appearance at New York’s ‘Radio City Music Hall’s Tony Bennett Celebrates 90’ concert, as well as a performance at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Virginia on Friday (26 August).
It is not the first time the 74-year-old has pulled out of shows due to health concerns.
Last August, she cancelled a Las Vegas concert, citing exhaustion as the reason at the time.