EXCLUSIVE: Rod Stewart on the Ropes — Scrubbed Shows Spark New Fears for Wobbly Rocker
Rod Stewart's canceled shows have sparked fresh concerns about the rocker's health and future.
June 26 2026, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
Rod Stewart is once again sparking fears for his apparently diminishing health after the music icon scrapped two concerts due to the latest flare-up of a pesky sinus ailment, sources told RadarOnline.com.
News of the 81-year-old Maggie May singer's most recent health challenge emerged when he informed fans that he was too sick to take the stage for a pair of shows in May for his residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Rocker Pushes Through Health Woes
Penny Lancaster said Rod Stewart's bout with influenza A left him feeling sicker than at any other point in his life.
"I am on vocal rest as I recover from a sinus infection," he explained.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, this is hardly the first scare for Hot Rod, who scrapped multiple tour dates in 2025 because of a bout with influenza A that his wife, Penny Lancaster, revealed left him feeling more ill than at any point in "his entire life."
He also canceled several shows in 2024 due to strep throat and COVID-19. In 2000, he had a cancerous tumor removed from his thyroid gland, and the year before that, he went public with a secret three-year battle with prostate cancer, which is now believed to be in remission.
At the same time, sources said the still hard-drinking Rock & Roll Hall of Famer – who regularly parties with his 12-piece band following sets – has yielded seemingly little to nothing to age and infirmity.
Despite recent health setbacks, Stewart remains committed to his 'One Last Time' tour and future Las Vegas shows.
Stewart is still engaged in his years-long One Last Time mega-tour, which is slated to run through Aug. 15 in the U.S., as well as his residency's 2026 summertime Encore Shows. And as previously reported, Rod has also bragged that he's working on "a country album, and halfway [through] doing an original album."
The rocker seemingly acknowledged the heavy toll such a pace can take as he approached his 80th birthday, confessing in 2024 that his "days are numbered."
For now, sources said it's more than evident Stewart is still holding sway.
Rod Returns Despite Health Scare
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Stewart returned to the Caesars Palace stage after missing shows and told fans he probably should have gone to the hospital.
After he missed shows in Vegas, the triumphantly returned to Caesars' stage, though he confessed to the audience that days earlier he "should've gone to the hospital... didn't."
A source told RadarOnline.com: "It must be hard for someone who's gone 100 miles an hour his whole life to ease up on the pedal. There's no shame in it. Otherwise, you make everyone worry about you – such is the case with Rod."
