James Bourne has withdrawn from the Busted vs McFly tour a day before the opening show in Birmingham, saying he is not well enough to perform.
In a statement posted to Instagram on Monday, the 42-year-old Busted member said that over the past eight days it became clear he was "not in good enough health to play these shows." He said his bandmates, management and he were unanimous in deciding he should "focus on the medical stuff for now," and added that he hoped to return "further down the line."
"The VS tour kicks off tomorrow night in Birmingham and as excited as I've been all year for this tour to begin, I'm really sorry to say that over the last 8 days it has become clear that I am not in good enough health to play these shows," Bourne wrote. "There's a lot of information I still don't have about my condition but my bandmates, management and I are unanimous in deciding that I should focus on the medical stuff for now. I really hope I can be in a position to come back further down the line. It's still going to be an amazing show and I will miss being there! See you all as soon as possible."
Bourne is a founding member of Busted, alongside Charlie Simpson and Matt Willis. The joint Busted vs McFly tour was scheduled to begin in Birmingham on Tuesday; organisers have said shows will go ahead as planned.
Bourne did not disclose the nature of his health issues in the Instagram post and said there remained information he did not yet have about his condition. He thanked fans for their support and expressed regret at missing the performances.
Representatives for Busted and tour management did not immediately provide further comment beyond Bourne's statement. Fans with tickets were advised to check official channels for any venue-specific updates.
The announcement comes on the eve of the high-profile co-headlining run by the two pop-rock acts, which had been widely publicised in recent months. Bourne's withdrawal reduces the touring lineup for at least the opening shows while the remainder of the scheduled dates are expected to continue under the tour's existing plans.
Further information on Bourne's condition and any potential return to the tour was not available at the time of publication.