GEORGE THOROGOOD Cancels Tour Dates After Being Diagnosed With 'Very Serious Medical Condition'

George Thorogood has canceled the next leg of his 50th-anniversary tour dates with his band, THE DESTROYERS, so that he can undergo an undisclosed operation.

"George has been diagnosed with a very serious medical condition that will require immediate surgery and quite a few weeks of recuperation and healing," the band said in a statement earlier today (Tuesday, April 11). "You, our fans, mean the world to us, and we know this news is not want you wanted to hear, but rest assured GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS will be back. We'll keep you updated as we know more."

The next leg of GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS' North American tour was scheduled to kick off April 27 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and wrap May 21 in Big Flats, New York.

Tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase.

The guitarist, songwriter and singer, who turned 73 in February, launched his 50th-anniversary tour on March 17.

Another leg of the "Bad All Over The World - 50 Years Of Rock" tour is slated to begin in July.

"Bad All Over The World - 50 Years Of Rock" features Thorogood and Jeff Simon (drums, percussion) with longtime DESTROYERS Bill Blough (bass guitar),Jim Suhler (rhythm guitar) and Buddy Leach (saxophone).

Since 1976, GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS have sold over 15 million albums, built a catalog of classic hits, and played more than 8,000 ferocious live shows. They broke records with their "50 Dates/50 States Tour", delivered landmark performances at Live Aid and on "SNL", and became mainstays of radio, MTV, and stages worldwide for more than two generations. Through it all, they've remained one of the most consistent — and consistently passionate — progenitors of blues-based rock in pop culture history.

With more than 20 studio and live albums to their credit, GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS have achieved platinum and gold success with eight. In the past few years alone, the band released a top-selling limited edition seven-inch single for Record Store Day and saw the reissues of their legendary "Bad To The Bone", "Born To Be Bad" and "Greatest Hits: 30 Years Of Rock" albums on 180-gram colored vinyl. Thorogood himself received the 2018 B.B. King Award from the Montreal International Jazz Festival, and his solo debut "Party Of One" — which critics called "brilliant" (Spin),"electrifying" (Guitar Player),and "chock full of classics" (Music Connection) — became George's fastest-selling disc in over 20 years. In 2020, Epiphone created the George Thorogood White Fang' ES-125TDC premier signature model guitar, and GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS "Live In Boston 1982: The Complete Concert" was also released — an album that Classic Rock said "may well be one of the great live albums, entirely superb and a master class in live performance."

"It's easy to write a song, difficult to write a good song, and even harder to write a great song," Thorogood previously said. "It strikes home that I have the ability to write some pretty great songs, and there's a real sense of achievement to that."