Rod Stewart suddenly cancels show hours before he's due on stage as he battles illness

Sir Rod Stewart cancelled his 200th residency celebration show in Las Vegas due to a bout of the bacterial infection strep throat, it has been announced.

The London-born singer, 79, was set to bring his The Hits show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace to a close on Wednesday night (August 8) after performing at the venue across the last 13 years.

But Rod withdrew hours before what was meant to be his last show at the venue, telling fans he was 'desperately sorry' for the sudden cancellation, reports the Irish Mirror.

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A statement issued by the singer said: "Most people can work with strep throat but obviously not me. I'm absolutely gutted. I've been looking forward to this concert for so long."

"My deepest regrets for any inconvenience this has caused. Thankfully we'll now be returning in 2025 and I hope to see you all there."

The singer premiered his show, titled Rod Stewart: The Hits, at the classic venue in 2011. Hours before his performance, he announced he would be returning to Sin City for a series of encore shows which will take place next spring.

Alongside a video of him performing at the venue shared to Instagram, the veteran rock star wrote: "Vegas, I'm having too much fun for this to end so we are coming back for an encore!"

"Don't miss The Encore Shows Las Vegas Residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace March 12-22 and May 29-June 8!"

The high-energy show sees him perform hits from across his five-decade career including You Wear It Well, Da Ya Think I'm Sexy, Tonight's The Night and Hot Legs.