Hayley Williams is stepping back from performing to allow her lungs to heal. The Paramore songstress announced on Thursday that the band would be cancelling the last two stops on their tour following her recent lung infection.
Williams, 34, took to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday evening following a performance in Seattle, Washington, and explained how painful singing live was, noting that she hadn’t given herself enough time to properly recuperate.
“Hey everybody, we just got off stage in Seattle. After speaking with our team and my doc, I know that trying to finish this tour is now going to come at a detriment to my health,” Williams wrote in a message to her fans. “My lungs are just not healing quickly enough to keep up. It got a little scary tonight.”
“We will have the team post an official statement ASAP but we are going to have to cancel the last 2 shows of the tour so I can get better, finally,” she continued. “I know some of you are camping in Portland already, so I just wanted to get this out there. I’m so sorry for all the chaos this has caused some of you. I really tried to kick this s**t. Love you all.”
Hayley Williams/Instagram
On Thursday afternoon, Williams released an official statement on Paramore’s Instagram account, where she went into more detail about her illness and how she tried to get past it quickly to accommodate fans who had tickets to their concerts.
“After my lung infection forced us to postpone 4 shows, I was hoping a weekend off of performing and a strict medicine routine would allow my body to heal enough to finish off this tour strong,” she wrote. “I have been doing everything I can to fight this infection so we wouldn’t have to disappoint anyone with more news of postponement and cancellations.”
“After struggling through the last few shows and consulting with my doctor, we’re unfortunately realizing that it’s past the point of wanting to push through to put on a good show for all of you,” she added. “I’m now risking long term damage and I need to pay attention to my body. With that in mind and with a heavy heart, we have to cancel our remaining shows in both Portland and Salt Lake City.”
“We are so sorry to all of you who were so patient with us as we rescheduled these and likely rearranged travel pans to still come out,” she concluded. “I physically can not go on. I know this isn’t great news for anyone. Thank you for your continued support.”
The statement also assured fans that refunds for the canceled shows will be available at the point of purchase.
Paramore’s This Is WhyTour kicked off in October, but ran into a speedbump in July when Williams was first diagnosed with a lung infection.
The ailment came shortly after Williams was joined on stage by special guest Billie Eilish during a performance at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
Williams surprised the crowd by announcing Eilish was on hand to duet on Paramore’s 2009 track, “All I Wanted,” to the amazement and delight of the audience.
Check out the video below to see more.
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