Jeff Lynne Cancels Final ELO Performance Due to Illness

Jeff Lynne, photo by Bill Kelly

Yesterday, July 13, Jeff Lynne’s ELO was due to perform at London’s Hyde Park for their final bow. Hours before the show, the frontman and his reformed version of his legendary prog and pop-rock act were forced to cancel the long-awaited farewell appearance due to sudden health issues that prevented the bandleader from taking the stage or rescheduling what had been billed as his final performance ever.

“Jeff has been battling a systemic infection and is currently in the care of a team of doctors who have advised him that performing is simply not possible time nor will he be able to reschedule,” a representative for the group shared in a statement to Pitchfork. “The legacy of the band and his longtime fans are foremost in Jeff’s mind today, and while he is so sorry that he cannot perform, he knows that he must focus on his health and rehabilitation at this time.”

After Electric Light Orchestra disbanded in 1986, Lynne said that he’d lost interest in the band and moved on to join The Traveling Wilburys. Save for a short-lived comeback in 2001, Lynne did not return to the group’s catalog until 2014, when he reunited with pianist Richard Tandy to form Jeff Lynne’s ELO. Lynne debuted his revival project with a triumphant performance at Hyde Park, and previously stated that he felt it would be “the perfect place to do our final show.”

Sunday’s concert, which would have also featured Steve Winwood and The Doobie Brothers, was intended to punctuate the expansive Over and Out farewell tour, which Jeff Lynne’s ELO launched in 2024 following Tandy’s passing. Lynne also cancelled the group’s penultimate performance at Manchester’s Co-Op Live last Thursday; if he does not plan a new farewell event, the final show of his 55-year career with Electric Light Orchestra will have been his July 9 staging at the same venue, with featured a guest appearance from Dhani Harrison on The Traveling Wilburys’ “Handle with Care” and “End of the Line.”