Aggressive treatment for acute hip discomfort has led Ray Charles to cancel all of his remaining 2003 tour dates. As previously reported, the legendary entertainer had pulled out of about a dozen shows through mid-August, having last performed July 29 in Alexandria, Va. The new cancellations affect performances scheduled through Dec. 16.
“It breaks my heart to withdraw from these shows,” Charles says in a statement. “All my life, I’ve been touring and performing. It’s what I do. But the doctors insist I stay put and mend for a while, so I’ll heed their advice.”
The 72-year-old Charles, who is undergoing treatment in Los Angeles, has not canceled a tour in his 53 years of concert performances. In May he had performed the 10,000th concert of his career at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.
Although his doctors can keep him off the road, they won’t be able to stop Charles from working. He hopes to oversee the production of several new releases on his Crossover Records label. Those projects include mixing a long-planned gospel disc and getting the ball rolling on an album of duets, both at Charles’ RPM Studios.
