MAGNUM's TONY CLARKIN Diagnosed With Rare And Incurable Spinal Condition; Spring 2024 Tour Canceled

Tony Clarkin, guitarist, mastermind and main songwriter of the U.K. prog/pomp/AOR rock band MAGNUM, has been diagnosed with a rare and incurable spinal condition. As a result of his diagnosis, MAGNUM has canceled its previously announced spring 2024 tour.

Earlier today (Monday, December 18),Clarkin released the following message via social media: "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you guys. Over the past year or so I've been bothered by increasingly bad pains in my neck and head. For a long time the docs couldn't work out why, but now they've found out and it's gonna mean some changes.

"I have developed a rare spinal condition. It's not life-limiting, but it can be degenerative in some people, and sadly it's not curable. There are treatments that may help but we don't know how good they'll be.

"With the nature of touring and the weight of electric guitars this means there's no way I would be able to play the scheduled shows in the spring. We've taken the decision to cancel the tour, rather than mess anyone around trying to postpone in the hope things might get better in the short term. Bob [Catley, vocals] didn't feel it would be right doing it with a dep at this time.

"This is not gonna be the end of MAGNUM, but the future might have to be a bit different, so please bear with us while we try and figure out what I can and can't do moving forward.

"I'm really sorry for everyone who'd already bought tickets, it goes without saying that I'm absolutely gutted that I'm not gonna be able to play for you.

"Cheers and I hope I'll be able to see you all again soon."

The rest of MAGNUM added in a separate statement: "We are obviously all extremely upset at this development, especially so close to Christmas. We can't thank you all enough for your support over the years and hope you'll stick with us through this too. We really hope you're all going to love the new album 'Here Comes The Rain' out on the 12th January 2024 and this won't spoil it for you.

"Please everyone contact your ticket reseller for a refund. We'll be back…"

Formed in Birmingham over 50 years ago by Catley and Clarkin, MAGNUM have cemented themselves as one of the U.K.'s finest hard rock exports, a largely American dominated genre.

With their unique melodic skill and tasteful instrumentation, the group have released 22 studio albums over the years, with their most recent, "The Monster Roars", arriving last year to great critical acclaim.

MAGNUM's current lineup consists of Catley, Clarkin, Rick Benton (keys),Dennis Ward (bass) and Lee Morris (drums).