Penny Lancaster has shared a health update on her husband Sir Rod Stewart, saying he will “come back stronger than ever” following a heart operation and the cancellation of his 2026 US tour.
The 81-year-old singer had embarked on his final world tour when he underwent a coronary stent procedure and was forced to take four weeks off to recover. The development arrived after a year of health issues for “Maggie May” singer Stewart.
His wife Lancaster has reassured fans worried that “he’s back at full speed in his day-to-day activities, but doctor’s orders were to kind of postpone or cancel the current tour, because you know the risk factors involved”.
She added that she “did have to explain to the doctor what Rod’s performances are like”, as “he doesn’t just sit down on a stool or behind a piano, he runs around for nearly two hours with four different costume changes because he’s sweating through everything”.
Lancaster, 55, continued: “So, I compared him to either a boxer coming out of his dressing room on the way to the ring, or a horse coming out the blocks, I mean, he runs on and he’s like, you know, straight into it, 100 miles an hour and doesn’t stop.
“It’s like running a sprint for him, so just for precaution, that tour unfortunately had to be cancelled, which he was devastated about.”
Stewart, who called off a string of US and Mexico tour dates, including six nights at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, “can’t wait to see his fans again”, having had “so many wonderful well wishes and support”.
She also said the doctor’s orders have stretched to home life, and he’s received “strict instructions about the level of workout he could do”.
“I mean, he does not sit down,” Lancaster said. “I can never find him, he’s, you know, he’s got his hobbies.
“But he’s going to come back stronger than ever. He feels like he’s got a new lease of life.”
The singer has had a series of health issues this year, which have led to him cancelling a string of tour dates. In May, the “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” singer sent “apologies to my family of fans” after cancelling performances in Nevada, adding: “I am on vocal rest as I recover from a sinus infection.”
Less than a month later, he cancelled his San Diego show after being diagnosed with a respiratory infection that resulted in laryngitis. However, a day later, he was spotted at a FIFA World Cup game just one day later in Boston with his two sons.
Stewart later admitted that attending the football “wasn’t a good look”, telling talkSPORT: “I really shouldn’t have gone to the Haiti game. I had to cancel a show the night before because I just had no voice left.
“But the truth is, I wasn’t going to let my two sons down. I promised them since they were born that we’re going to go to a World Cup, and this is the first one that’s come about. And it wasn’t a good look, I admit, but I’m going to just have to take the stick. So, I did it for the boys.”
Days later, while performing in Utah, he returned to the stage – but almost fainted while performing. The singer paused the June gig and breathed from an oxygen tank, having become noticeably winded during the performance. “The show must go on. I nearly f***ing fainted there. Would you mind if I sit down for this one?” he told the crowd when he resumed the show. He performed the rest of the gig from a chair.
After undergoing the coronary stent procedure weeks later, he said in a statement: “I’m already feeling better and very much on the mend. I want to thank the doctors, nurses and everyone who has taken such wonderful care of me.
“I am deeply disappointed to miss these shows and sorry to let my fans down, but I look forward to getting back on stage and having a good time with you all again soon.”
While One Last Time was intended to be Stewart’s farewell tour, he suggested back in 2024 that he truly did feel “Forever Young” – a reference to his 1988 hit song – and would want to continue performing on a smaller scale.
“This will be the end of large scale world tours for me, but I have no desire to retire. I love what I do, and I do what I love,” he said in an Instagram post at the time.
“I’m fit, have a full head of hair, and can run 100 metres in 18 seconds at the jolly age of 79. I’d like to move onto a Great American Songbook, Swing Fever tour the year after next – smaller venues and more intimacy. But then again, I may not...”
Lancaster, who married Stewart in 2007, was speaking as she backed the Street Child charity’s Back To School campaign, which aims to get the public to pledge £4 per month to support a child’s education for a whole year, with the charity claiming that 79 million children around the world do not have access to education.
The charity says those who set up a gift before September will directly help Street Child commit to getting a child back to school this term.
Those wishing to donate can do so from the charity’s website.
Additional reporting by Agencies
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