Keith Urban has cancelled a scheduled performance in South Carolina after falling ill, just weeks after news broke of his split from Nicole Kidman.
The 57-year-old country star was forced to pull out of his High and Alive World Tour stop in Greenville, which had been set for Thursday night, due to a bout of laryngitis.
Venue Bon Secours Wellness Arena confirmed the cancellation in a statement, saying Urban had been advised by Dr. Gaelyn Garrett of the Vanderbilt Voice Center to rest his voice completely.
‘He has been placed on complete vocal rest, and Dr. Garrett is optimistic that he will be back onstage for his Nashville show,’ the statement read.
Urban is still scheduled to perform in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday, October 17, pending recovery.
Laryngitis is an inflammation of the larynx – or voice box – that can cause hoarseness, a raspy tone, or temporary loss of voice.
The singer’s health setback comes during a turbulent period, following reports that he and Kidman are ending their nearly two-decade-long marriage.
The country singer’s wife of 19-years filed for divorce after the pair separated at the start of summer, citing ‘irreconcilable differences.’
As news of the breakdown of their marriage went public, Keith continued his High and Alive World Tour which is currently travelling around the US.
In footage captured from a concert before the couple’s break-up was announced, he’s heard paying homage to his new guitarist Maggie Baugh, 25, in a surprise lyric change in a song he’s previously said was about his wife.
The clip, uploaded to Maggie’s Instagram, shows him singing his 2016 song The Fighter featuring Carrie Underwood, when he switches the line ‘when they’re tryna get to you baby, I’ll be the fighter’ to ‘when they’re tryna get to you, Maggie I’ll be your guitar player.’
She captioned the post: ‘Did he just say that’ with the side-eye emoji.
In an interview with Billboard in 2017, he shared about the song: ‘It’s all from a conversation my wife and I had early on in our relationship, that when things get tough, I need to hold her tighter and just try to take care of her.
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‘The song is about wanting to heal somebody, wanting to take care of somebody, wanting to protect somebody. It’s really like a vow in so many ways.’
In particular, it was written when Keith temporarily up and moved to London to support Nicole while she was on the West End.In an interview with Billboard in 2017, he shared: ‘It’s all from a conversation my wife and I had early on in our relationship, that when things get tough, I need to hold her tighter and just try to take care of her.
‘The song is about wanting to heal somebody, wanting to take care of somebody, wanting to protect somebody. It’s really like a vow in so many ways.’
In particular, it was written when Keith temporarily up and moved to London to support Nicole while she was on the West End.
As Urban’s fans await his Nashville return, speculation continues over how the end of his marriage will shape this new phase of his career.
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