Elton John recently canceled three concerts in Seattle and Portland after canceling a string of concerts in the UK “due to a serious case of [E. coli] bacterial infection and influenza” according to his website.
Several news outlets were reporting that the 62-year-old singer had been hospitalized, but a spokesman downplayed the seriousness of John’s condition to the BBC on Sunday, “He has the flu and he is absolutely fine.”
John’s spokesman also added that while the artist is “doing fine” he had to cancel the concerts on doctors orders.
The singer is reportedly being treated at the King Edward VII Hospital in central London, where he was admitted on Friday.
E. coli can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia, and very serious cases can advance to Hemolytic-uremic syndrome, which can cause kidney failure.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), E. coli infections are usually caused by consuming contaminated food, unpasteurized milk or water that has not been disinfected. The disease can also be spread through contact with cattle or infected persons.
No word yet on how Rocket Man may have caught the bug.
Elton Fans in the Northwest need not worry, the concerts will be rescheduled, likely in December.
