David Bowie cancels European festival dates

David Bowie, who was hospitalized last week due to a pinched nerve in his shoulder, has been forced to cancel his July festival dates, according to a statement on his official website.

In Ireland, this would mean Bowie's withdrawal from the headlining slot at Oxegen on July 11. However, event promoters MCD are yet to make any confirmations.

A statement issued on Bowie's official website reads:

"Due to the continuing pain and extreme discomfort from a trapped/pinched nerve in his shoulder and to prevent possible further injury, David Bowie has been advised by his doctors to cancel his performances at the eleven remaining European festival dates throughout July.

"Due to the unpredictable nature of the condition and in an effort to give fans as much warning as possible, (and indeed, to aid promoters in finding a replacement headliner in time for the festival dates) David very reluctantly agreed to take the advice.

"David, and everybody involved with the tour, is very sorry for the hardship that this difficult decision may have caused. We realise that many of you will have lost money on non-refundable travel and festival tickets.

"But, anybody that knows David will understand that he doesn't take these decisions lightly and I'm sure you all realise how bad he will be feeling about not being able to complete the tour."

Despite the continued pain, Bowie had been performing festival dates throughout last week. On Wednesday night, in Prague, he was forced to cut a concert short and on Friday he was hospitalized following his appearance at the Hurricane Festival in Scheesel, Germany.

At this stage MCD cannot confirm any scheduling changes to the Oxegen line-up. But with recent tragic events in the Muse camp, the fate of Sunday's Ticket Stage headliners is also in doubt.

Bill Howard, the father of Muse drummer Dominic Howard, suffered a heart attack and died following the band's performance at Glastonbury on Sunday night. Issuing a statement on their website, the band announced the cancellation of their Wednesday night gig in Bergamo, Italy, "with decisions on other shows pending".

Stay tuned to hotpress.com for further updates and an official statement from MCD regarding Bowie and Muse.