--- description: Elton John has cancelled shows scheduled for April and May after a "harmful and unusual bacterial infection" forced him into intensive care. title: Elton John Cancels Shows After 'Potentially Deadly' Illness image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt74fac995888153cf/6988ca6f8e060142ab46a153/gettyimages-652371232.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Elton John Cancels Shows After a 'Potentially Deadly' Infection Put Him in Intensive Care by [Joseph Hincks](/author/joseph-hincks/) ## Joseph Hincks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 25, 2017 3:17 AM CUT  Elton John performs on stage at Save On Foods Memorial Centre on March 11, 2017 in Victoria, Canada. Elton John performs on stage at Save On Foods Memorial Centre on March 11, 2017 in Victoria, Canada.Andrew Chin—Getty Images by [Joseph Hincks](/author/joseph-hincks/) ## Joseph Hincks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 25, 2017 3:17 AM CUT Elton John has canceled a run of Las Vegas shows scheduled for April and May after a “harmful and unusual bacterial infection” forced him into [intensive care](http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-39700952 "undefined"). According to a statement issued by the singer’s management, John became violently ill with a “rare and potentially deadly” infection while on a flight home from Santiago, Chile. He spent two nights receiving treatment in a U.K intensive care unit before being discharged on Saturday, [multiple](http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/24/entertainment/elton-john-hospitalization/index.html "undefined") outlets [report](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/apr/24/elton-john-cancels-concerts-las-vegas-bacteria-infection "undefined"). “Thankfully, Elton’s medical team identified this quickly and treated it successfully,” the statement read. “He is expected to make a full and complete recovery.” Elton John also added: “I am so fortunate to have the most incredible and loyal fans and apologize for disappointing them. I am extremely grateful to the medical team for their excellence in looking after me so well.” The cancelled shows include “The Million Dollar Piano” gigs at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and John’s May 6 show in Bakersfield, California. His June 3 gig in Twickenham, England, is slated to go ahead, according to the statement. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4753647/elton-john-infection-cancels-shows/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4753647/elton-john-infection-cancels-shows/"},"headline":"Elton John Cancels Shows After a 'Potentially Deadly' Infection Put Him in Intensive Care","datePublished":"2017-04-25T03:17:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T04:35:12.086Z","description":"The pop icon became violently ill while on a flight home from Santiago, Chile","url":"https://time.com/4753647/elton-john-infection-cancels-shows/","keywords":["Music","elton john","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt74fac995888153cf/6988ca6f8e060142ab46a153/gettyimages-652371232.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Joseph Hincks","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/joseph-hincks/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt74fac995888153cf/6988ca6f8e060142ab46a153/gettyimages-652371232.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Elton John Performs At Save On Foods Memorial Centre","caption":"Elton John Performs At Save On Foods Memorial Centre","creditText":"Andrew Chin—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4753647/elton-john-infection-cancels-shows/","name":"Elton John Cancels Shows After a 'Potentially Deadly' Infection Put Him in Intensive Care"}}]}] ```