Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesThe Rocket Man's appendix is severely inflamed.
Elton John has been forced to postpone an upcoming European tour after coming down with a nasty case of appendicitis that will mean he'll have to undergo surgery, his rep announced.
A statement on John's official website revealed the "Sad Songs" singer first took ill during a recent string of dates.
"Following a number of exploratory scans and blood tests with his medical team in the UK, a diagnosis of appendix abscess surrounding retrocaecal appendicitis has been confirmed," the statement read.
John is now taking an intensive course of antibiotics, and his rep added that he's expected to go under the knife in the U.K. in the coming weeks "once doctors can be confident they have sufficiently reduced toxins within the inflamed appendicitis site."
The 66-year-old Grammy winner, who regularly performs around 120 concerts a year, has been told by his physicians to push back the shows, which includes a Friday headlining gig at London's Hyde Park as part of the Barclaycard British Summer Time Festival.
No word yet on makeup dates, but the spokesman made it clear that Sir Elton will not return to the road until he's fully recovered from both the surgery and the affects of the abscess.
"Elton is incredibly disappointed to postpone these tour dates. To know that he made such super-human efforts and continued to perform to thousands through his illness only confirms his dedication to his European fans," said the rep. "He is eager to be back on top form and return to play the remaining shows starting in early 2013."
When he wasn't grinning and bearing it through the pain, John made news last week for blasting The Voice and other reality talent shows like it for producing contestants that he called "nonentities," because none of the popsters in the competition actually have any hits.
"Television and video have done a lot of damage to music," the legendary hitmaker huffed to Britain's Radio 4. "They've propelled people into stardom that aren't ready for it, you know, and it can't sustain it. And they're only as good as the next song."
He did however hold out some sympathy for them.
"I hate that, I hate people being cast aside," John added.
Hmmm...It almost gives one a bad case of appendicitis.