Stevie Wonder says he’s getting a kidney transplant in fall
Stevie Wonder surprised concertgoers in London Saturday night by
announcing that he will take a break from performing so that he can receive a
kidney transplant this fall.
The 69-year-old music legend
made the announcement after performing “Superstition” at the end of a packed
British Summer Time concert in London’s sprawling Hyde Park.
He said he was speaking out to quell rumors and sought to
reassure fans that he would be okay.
“I’m going to be doing three shows then taking a break,” he said. “I’m having
surgery. I’m going to have a kidney transplant at the end of September this
year.”
He said a donor has been found
and that he would be fine, drawing cheers from a devoted crowd of tens of
thousands that stretched out from the stage as far as the eye could see.
“I came here to give you my
love and to thank you for yours,” he said. “You ain’t gonna hear no rumors
about us. I’m good.”
He did not provide additional
information about his kidney illness. There had been a recent report that
Wonder was facing a serious health issue.
A representative for Wonder
didn’t immediately respond to a request Saturday for details about his health.
He has kept an active schedule, including performing recently at a Los Angeles
memorial service for slain rapper Nipsey Hussle.
Wonder, who has received more
than two-dozen Grammy Awards, has produced a string of hits over a long career
that began when he was a youngster who performed as Little Stevie Wonder. His
classic hits include “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” and “Living for the
City.”
Wonder seemed in top form throughout
the concert, performing a series of his hits and paying tribute to musical
heroes including Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and John Lennon, performing a
stirring rendition of the latter’s “Imagine” near the end of the show.
It was a joyous event, with his
fans reveling in the warm summer night - though a light drizzle fell near the
end - and the career-spanning retrospective that evoked Wonder’s early days as
a young Motown star.
He did seem less ebullient than
in the past and made his health announcement in a somber tone with a severe
look on his face. But he was smiling as he left the stage with the band playing
the memorable conclusion of “Superstition” one final time.