Music legend Stevie Wonder took a crowd of London concertgoers by surprise Saturday after he revealed he will be getting a kidney transplant this fall.
The 69-year-old singer-songwriter was performing at the British Summer Time concert in London’s Hyde Park when he announced he would be taking a break from doing shows to have the surgery, according to the Associated Press.
The “Superstition” singer looked to clear up rumors about his deteriorating health and assured fans he would be okay.
“I’m going to be doing three shows then taking a break,” he told the packed crowd. “I’m having surgery. I’m going to have a kidney transplant at the end of September this year.”
“I came here to give you my love and to thank you for yours,” Wonder added. “You ain’t gonna hear no rumors about nothing, I told you what’s up. I’m good.”
Stevie told the crowd that he found a donor and he would be fine, drawing cheers from the tens of thousands in attendance.
The moment, this evening at Hyde Park, Stevie Wonder told us why he would be taking a break from performing…. pic.twitter.com/pwfjnczGKx
— Aleem Maqbool (@AleemMaqbool) July 6, 2019
On Wednesday, the Detroit Free Press reported that the Motown icon was facing some “health challenges,” and had been traveling overseas with a medical team.
Stevie Wonder has been blessing the world with his musical talents since he signed with Motown in 1961. He has since earned 25 Grammy Awards and has been nominated over 70 times.
Sources also told the Detroit Free Press that Stevie has been in great spirits.
Rumors began to circulate concerning Stevie’s health back in June when a Philadelphia radio personality claimed the musician was suffering from kidney failure and had been undergoing dialysis. Afterwords, Wonder’s camp refused to confirm the speculation.
A medical doctor told the Free Press that fans shouldn’t expect Stevie to return to the stage again until at least 2020 as he recovers from the surgery.
