Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has announced that he’s been forced to cancel a planned tour of the U.S. due to a medical emergency. Apparently Ward ended up in the hospital over the weekend after experiencing what he described in a Facebook post as “heart problems.” The drummer assured his fans that he’s doing okay, but won’t be able to proceed with the tour.
“It’s with great, great sadness that I must tell you I have to cancel the Day Of Errors tour dates scheduled in December. I wound up in hospital this past weekend with heart problems. I am OK and in good recovery at this time. However, I’ve never experienced this particular type of heart problem before, and due to its nature, I had to make the decision to cancel the dates. I want to send my sincere apologies to everyone who was planning to come out to the shows. I’m so sorry we won’t be making it — I was looking forward to seeing you all and sharing this music with you. I’ll be in touch soon.”
It was to a lot of Black Sabbath fan’s regret that Ward was left out of the band’s triumphant return through the Rick Rubin-produced album 13 a few years back, as well as their most recent farewell tour. When I spoke to the band’s bass player Geezer Butler recently, it was apparent that he still held his one-time bandmate in high esteem. “He’s got to be one of the greatest drummers in rock,” Butler said. “There’s only one Bill Ward. He’s a great bloke to know. He doesn’t bear any grudges toward us. He’s the same Bill Ward I’ve grown up with.”
