Rod Stewart Halts Utah Concert for Oxygen Amid Health Struggles

Rod Stewart Details "Awful" Illness Led to Vegas Show Cancellations

A health scare can’t stop the rhythm of Rod Stewart’s heart.

The 81-year-old struggled to keep upright while singing his hit “Young Turks” during his concert near Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 19, doubling over to catch his breath at one point. Fortunately, he was able to get to the side of the stage and use an oxygen tank, with him subsequently addressing the brief pause in his performance.

“The show must go on,” Stewart was captured saying in a video of the incident obtained by TMZ. “I nearly f--king fainted up there, I’ll tell you, trying to do a little jimmy, a step and a dance.”

Even with this slight hiccup, the “Rhythm of My Heart” singer kept performing, although he did ask the audience if he could sit for his next song. Fans cheered on as he sang his cover of “Love Train” by The O’Jays while seated.

While Stewart was able to continue his concert in Utah, he has been battling some health issues in recent weeks, which led him to cancel the May 29 and 30 performances of his Las Vegas residency.

"Before we go any further, last week I passed on two shows and I'll tell you why," he explained at his June 2 concert in a video shared by @jasc24. "I had this awful f--king sinus infection. I should've gone to the hospital but I didn't."

And he elaborated on how serious the infection was, adding, “I couldn't hear a thing. When you've got your ears blocked up, it ruins your equilibrium."

John Medina/Getty Images

Although the illness was out of his control, he did express his regrets over missing the shows, which were part of the first leg of his Rod Stewart: The Encore Shows residency that ran from May 27 to June 6. The residency, which takes place at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, will pick back up on Aug. 18 until Aug. 29.

"My apologies to my family of fans," he said in a statement to the Las Vegas Review Journal on May 29. "I am on vocal rest as I recover from a sinus infection. I look forward to seeing you at a future show at Caesars Palace or on tour this summer."

Read on to see how other celebs have navigated major health scares…

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