Rick Parfitt will miss his first ever Status Quo gig due to illness.
The band recently cancelled six concerts on their European tour because 65-year-old Parfitt was rushed to hospital. Parfitt had a quadruple heart bypass in 1997 after doctors said he was in danger of dying as a result of his lifestyle. After surgery, Parfitt said he was not planning on becoming a “born-again Christian” and would still have the “odd pint”.
Parfitt will not be playing at the band’s gig tomorrow night (August 15) at Clumber Park in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, reports BBC News. Freddie Edwards, who is the son of bass player John ‘Rhino’ Edwards, will fill in for him. It is thought that he will recover in time for the band’s following concert, at Norfolk’s Holkham Hall on August 23.
Speaking about tomorrow’s show, Francis Rossi said it would be “strange” performing without Parfitt, while the band’s manager Simon Porter called the gig “Quo history in the making” and “a memorable one-off.”
The band hold the record for the most singles, having recorded 64 since 1968. Parfitt and long-time band partner Francis Rossi were invested as OBEs by the Queen in 2010.