Brian Setzer was on tour with the Stray Cats last year when he noticed the first signs of what was eventually diagnosed as an autoimmune disorder.
Now, it looks like the mess may be keeping Setzer off the road.
The Stray Cats said Tuesday they were canceling their fall U.S. tour because Setzer, 66, was battling a “serious illness.” The announcement comes months after Setzer's diagnosis, although it is still unclear if this is a separate health issue.
“I know this affects a lot of people and I am devastated to have to break this news,” Setzer wrote Tuesday on X. “I have been trying everything I can to continue and do these shows, but it just isn't possible.
“I was really looking forward to getting back on stage with my bandmates,” he said, “and playing for all of our amazing fans, and I'm gutted.”
The Stray Cats initially canceled the first two stops of their fall tour, in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and Rockford, Illinois, before canceling the entire tour on Tuesday. The band said refunds would be available at the time of purchase and did not announce any future tour dates.
Setzer first shared details about his unspecified autoimmune disease in February, writing on social media that, although the illness was not painful, it prevented him from playing the guitar.
“It feels like I'm wearing a pair of gloves when I try to play,” he wrote, adding that the illness had for a time hampered his ability to perform everyday tasks such as tying his shoes.
The artist said he had been improving as he received care at “the best hospital in the world one block from me,” the Mayo Clinic.
“I know I'll get through it, it's just going to take some time,” he said. “I love you all.”
The Stray Cats, formed by Setzer, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom in 1979, have disbanded and reformed several times over the decades. In 2019, the founding trio reunited to release a 40th anniversary album, aptly named “40,” their first album in a quarter-century.
On Friday, the band released their first release since then. The pair of singles, consisting of the original song “Stampede” and a cover of Eddie Cochran’s “Teenage Heaven,” were described on the band’s website as “loud, upbeat and unmistakably The Stray Cats.”
“Jim and I recorded both songs in Minneapolis at Terrarium Studios,” Setzer said in a statement posted on the site. “'Stampede' was an instrumental song that I wrote lyrics for. I basically copied the guitar part, which was pretty ahead of its time to begin with, and 'Teenage Heaven' is one of the few Eddie Cochran songs that hasn't been covered to death.”
Rocker said that “'Stampede' has the drive and intensity that brings me back to our first album” and “'Teenage Heaven' is a classic Eddie Cochran song that we put our [Stray] The magic of cats continues.”
“The Cats are back and they're better than ever,” the bassist said.
Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.
