James Bourne’s health has caused concern for Busted fans in recent months after he was forced to withdraw from their latest tour.
The singer, 42, then announced this weekend that he must undergo surgery to ‘extend his life’.
James, who rose to fame in the early 2000s alongside Matt Willis and Charlie Simpson, is best known for his vocals and guitar playing in the pop-punk band; he’s also written a slew of songs for the likes of McFly, The Vamps, and 5 Seconds of Summer.
While James has been active on the music scene for over 20 years, he’s been silent for the past few months, sparking worry among his fanbase.
Following his latest update on his mystery illness, he’s been flooded with messages of support and well-wishes on social media, with everyone hoping he’ll be back on stage soon.
What has James Bourne said about his health?
Last September, James pulled out of Busted’s arena tour with McFly just 24 hours before the first gig.
In his first statement on his health, he wrote: ‘The VS tour kicks off tomorrow night in Birmingham and as excited as l’ve been all year for this tour to begin.
‘I’m really sorry to say that over the last 8 days it has become clear that I am not in good enough health to play these shows 🙁
‘There’s a lot of information I still don’t have about my condition but my bandmates, management and I are unanimous in deciding that I should focus on the medical stuff for now.
‘I really hope I can be in a position to come back further down the line. It’s still going to be an amazing show and I will miss being there! See you all as soon as possible.’
He added in his caption: ‘Feeling grateful to have the support of my girlfriend and my family. Taking a break for while. 🙏’
After sharing the message on Instagram, James’s fans began praying for his recovery, with the likes of Olly Murs, Jedward, and Wheatus leaving sweet comments.
Then, following six months of inactivity, James returned to the internet this weekend to share that he requires surgery, although he did not explain what for.
‘I have a plan in place to have a major surgery that should extend my life and hopefully make me well enough to come back to what I love the most which is touring and making music,’ his Instagram Story read.
‘It really sucks to be out of the game. But there is hope!’
What else we know so far
While he then went off the grid, his bandmates kept people in the loop, with Matt, 42, admitting that things were bleak.
Declaring that ‘health is wealth’, the Crashed The Wedding hitmaker told the crowd during their first show: ‘OK, you may have noticed our best friend is not here tonight.
‘James Bourne is really f***ing sick, and we love him, and we miss him.’
He added that it was ‘really weird’ to be playing their ‘first show ever’ without him.
‘But we’re going to do the best we can,’ said Matt.
Both Matt and Charlie had admitted they were close to cancelling the tour completely, but James insisted he wanted it to continue.
‘We talked to him, and we said, “Mate, do we pull out of this? What do we do?”,’ Matt recalled through tears. ‘He said, “No – I want you to keep playing the shows”.’
His younger brother, Chris Bourne, took his place.
James’s ill health continued to cause ‘strain’, though, leading to Charlie, 40, scrapping a series of his own DJ gigs in October.
Part of a statement issued by the ticket provider read at the time: ‘Unfortunately due to the ongoing health issues of James and the strain that it is putting on Charlie and the rest of the band, he has had to make the difficult decision to cancel all upcoming DJ sets.
Are Busted touring again?
Busted recently wrapped their Busted Vs McFly tour with Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter, and Harry Judd.
Had James been well enough to join, it would have marked the first time all seven members of each band had performed together since Busted invited McFly to tour with them in 2003, given that Charlie did not join McBusted’s supergroup in 2013.
It was billed as a battle between the two iconic noughties groups, with McFly declaring beforehand: ‘They’re old men now, and we are gonna blow them and their careers off the stage next year.’
Retaliating with their own tongue-in-cheek fighting talk, Busted said: ‘There’s been a lot of talk recently… This is where the talking ends. We are ready to show who is the better band once and for all. McFly suck, and Busted rock!’
The tour began in Birmingham on September 16 and travelled across the UK until November 8, finishing in Nottingham.
While they are still technically together, having reunited again in 2023 for their 20th anniversary, Busted are not currently touring or performing.
The band’s last social media post came just a couple of weeks after the Vs tour ended, as they shared a highlights reel.
‘Looking back on 2 months of tour 🖤 to all 320,000+ of you who came out and danced around with us, who lost your minds & sang with us, BUSTED LOVES YOU ⚡️’, the caption read.
And, it seems, like James, they are optimistic about the future, adding: ‘We’ll be back 👊🏼’
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