The Who Postpones Tour After Rocker Roger Daltrey Becomes Ill: His Diagnosis & ‘Who Hits 50!’ Plans [Video]

The Who has been forced to postpone its current tour schedule. Although the nature of the illness was not at first revealed, the group is now revealing that the reason for rescheduling its “Who Hits 50!” concert dates is linked to a diagnosis of viral meningitis for rocker Roger Daltrey of The Who, reported Rolling Stone.

As a result, Daltry must rest on doctor’s orders, which means the need to postpone the currently planned tour dates. But The Who guitarist Pete Townshend promised to provide the group’s fans with memorable appearances next year.

“We are rescheduling all the shows for next spring 2016,” revealed Townshend. “We apologize to all our fans who have supported us in the last 50 years. Once Roger is completely well we will come back stronger than ever and Roger and I will give you all a show to remember.”

The news of Daltrey’s meningitis diagnosis follows the postponement of four shows previously in September. In addition, The Who backed out of a September 17 appearance at the iHeartRadio Music Festival. At that time, the group revealed only that Roger had a virus and need to recover.

But until the latest revelation of the diagnosis, The Who had planned to carry on later in September in Oregon. With the knowledge that viral meningitis requires a longer recovery time than a week or so, however, The Who has changed all of the dates planned. That tour had a California stop in mid-December as its final date.

Now, with the entire tour rescheduled for next year, Daltrey expressed his regret while revealing just how hard the condition has hit him.

“We are very sorry to disappoint our fans in this way. For the last four weeks, I have been in and out of the hospital and have been diagnosed with viral meningitis. I am now on the mend and feeling a lot better, but I am going to need a considerable time to recover. The doctors tell me I will make a complete recovery, but that I should not do any touring this year.”

Fans who already have bought tickets for the previously scheduled concerts will be able to use them after The Who reveals the new schedule of the “Who Hits 50” tour.

“[The tour is] the beginning of a long goodbye,” Daltrey noted.

The Who has captivated audiences for 50 years, and Townshend summed up the tour highlights as “Hits, Picks, Mixes and Misses.”

But how bad is viral meningitis in terms of Daltrey’s health? The Who emphasized that the condition is so serious that the group was forced to cancel the remaining tour dates for this year, reported the BBC.

“After extensive tests the seriousness of his condition became apparent,” the group revealed in a statement.

The Who also noted that Daltrey is recovering, but felt that to ensure his health, it was essential to reschedule.

“It wasn’t a decision taken lightly. The Who always give their fans 100% and were never going to compromise the show, but ultimately the band had no alternative but to postpone the tour.”

[Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images]