Randy Newman reveals he broke his neck, postpones European tour

Randy Newman is postponing his 2022 U.K. and European tour dates while he recovers from a broken neck.

“Recently, I noticed I was shrinking. People over whom I had towered now towered over me. Could this be payback for having written ‘Short People’? Turns out, my neck was broken,” the Oscar-, Emmy- and Grammy-winning songwriter wrote in a statement posted on his official website and Instagram account.

“They operated on me successfully, I think. For even now, I look less like an anteater and more like a folk rock artist from the early sixties,” the 2013 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee continued. “But the doctor said I’m not quite ready to tour. I was really looking forward to coming to Europe to perform. I miss performing a great deal and I look forward to a time when I can come. I’m sorry I won’t see you this time but I will see you soon.”

Newman, 78, was set to kick off his An Evening with Randy Newman tour in Dublin, Ireland, on March 15, with subsequent stops in the U.K., Sweden, Norway, Germany and France. This marks the third time Newman has postponed the tour. It was originally set to begin in 2020, but was pushed to 2022 due to the pandemic. He was also scheduled to swing by Australia and make his first-ever trip to New Zealand, but put those shows on hold in January 2020 following hip surgery.

The statement promises “new dates to be announced as soon as possible,” and that current ticket holders will be contacted with additional info about the rescheduled dates in the future. The status of Newman’s recently announced May 1 appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival remains unconfirmed.