The Rolling Stones have postponed their Australian tour, with grief-stricken frontman Mick Jagger posting a heartfelt statement expressing his difficulty dealing with the suicide of his partner, L'Wren Scott, on Monday.
The band confirmed the tour would not go ahead on its website, posting the following statement: ‘‘The Rolling Stones are deeply sorry and disappointed to announce the postponement of the rest of their 14 ON FIRE tour of Australia and New Zealand following the death of L’Wren Scott.
‘‘Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood wish to thank all of their fans for their support at this difficult time and hope that they will fully understand the reason for this announcement."
After midnight Perth time Jagger posted a deeply personal statement on his own Facebook page.
"I am still struggling to understand how my lover and best friend could end her life in this tragic way," he wrote.
He and the other three Rolling Stones are believed to still be in the WA capital, where the tour was due to begin on Wednesday night, before playing gigs in Adelaide this week then Sydney, Melbourne, Hanging Rock and Brisbane.
A clearly emotional Jagger briefly paid tribute to Scott in his short statement, which was accompanied by a smiling black and white photo of Scott.
"We spent many wonderful years together and had made a great life for ourselves,’’ he wrote. "She had great presence and her talent was much admired, not least by me."
Jagger said he had been "touched" by the tributes paid to her and personal messages of support for him, then signed off simply saying: "I will never forget her, Mick."
Nearly 9,500 people posted further messages of support for Jagger under his statement.
Leading fashion designer Scott, 49, took her own life in her Manhattan apartment where she was found by her personal assistant on Monday (New York time).
The band arrived in Perth to play their tour on Monday, but plans ground to a halt when news of Scott's sudden death broke.
Band promoter Frontier Touring confirmed the tour was postponed, not cancelled, and attempts were being made to find new dates for the band to play in Australia — although there was no indication when that might happen.
"Australia/New Zealand promoters ask ticket holders to please hold on to their tickets until further notice,’’ Frontier said in a statement.
‘‘A new schedule of dates is presently being worked on and will be advised as soon as possible. Information will be made available via rollingstones.com and frontiertouring.com as soon as available.’’
The affected concert dates are: Perth Arena – 19 March, Adelaide Oval – 22 March, Sydney Allphones Arena – 25 March, Melbourne Rod Laver Arena – 28 March, Macedon Ranges Hanging Rock – 30 March, Brisbane Entertainment Centre – 2 April, Auckland Mt Smart Stadium – 5 April
New dates for the concerts will be rescheduled at a later date. The band has thanked fans "for their support at this difficult time" and hopes "they will fully understand".
