Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan, 81, hospitalized due to medical emergency, cancels upcoming tour dates

See more of our coverage in your search results. Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan, 81, was hospitalized following a medical emergency, forcing his band to cancel two upcoming tour dates. The British rock group — which also includes guitarist Simon McBride, bassist Roger Glover, drummer Ian Paice and keyboardist Don Airey — announced the cancellations on Instagram Saturday, saying they were doing so “with great disappointment.” The band said it would be “unable to perform” Saturday night at the QI Arena in Leipzig, Germany, as well as Sunday evening at the Sporthalle in Hamburg. Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan was hospitalized following a medical emergency. (Pictured: Gillan performing on stage in Milan on Oct. 17.) Corbis via Getty Images The British rock group announced they were canceling two shows in a statement Saturday. deeppurple/ instagram “This comes as a result of a medical emergency involving Ian Gillan, which has resulted in his current hospitalisation [sic],” the statement read. “We understand that this announcement comes at short notice and share the disappointment of all our wonderful fans that we are unable to perform in Leipzig and Hamburg,” they added. The band stated that they are focused on finding “suitable” dates to reschedule both shows, noting that all previously purchased tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled performances. “With the greatest love and respect … Deep Purple x,” the statement concluded. This story is developing… Community Guidelines Welcome to the Page Six Community! Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space. In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will/might be rejected if it contains: Spam Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice: Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk So, how can you be a power user? Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across. 'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions! Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules. Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!