A London music festival cancels its final night after ELO’s Jeff Lynne pulls out

LONDON (AP) — A two-week-long music festival in central London has cancelled its final night after Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra pulled out of the headline slot on Sunday.

Lynne, 77, who was billed to play alongside his band Sunday at the The BST Hyde Park festival, withdrew on Saturday on the advice of doctors as a result of what was termed a “systemic infection.”

In a statement, the festival organizers said the event will “sadly be cancelled” and that ticket holders will be refunded and contacted directly by their ticket agent with further details.

Stevie Wonder will be taking to the London stage on Saturday evening in what will now be the festival’s final event of 2025. This year’s festival, which started on June 27, hosted the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Van Morrison and Neil Young.

U.S. rock band The Doobie Brothers and Steve Winwood were among those slated to perform on Sunday ahead of ELO’s headline performance.

In an earlier statement, BST said Lynne was “heartbroken” to report that he could not perform.

“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 at this time nor will he be able to reschedule,” the statement read.

“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,” it added.

It comes after the band, best known for “Mr Blue Sky,” pulled out of a performance at Manchester’s Co-Op Live on July 10.

The band was formed in Birmingham in 1970 by Lynne, multi-instrumentalist Roy Wood and drummer Bev Bevan, and first split in 1986. ELO are known for fusing classical music, Beatles-style pop and futuristic rock visuals, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

Lynne resurrected the band in 2014.