LONDON (CelebrityAccess) — Composer John Williams, who lent his memorable compositions to movies such as Star Wars and Jaws, has canceled several upcoming performances after he was hospitalized in London.
Williams, who is 86, had been scheduled to perform with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday, but the venue announced that he had pulled out of the event due to a “last minute” illness.
The show will go ahead with Dirk Brossé, who will conduct the orchestra in Williams’ stead.
A statement from his management said: “John is so sorry that an illness prevents him from conducting Friday’s concert, and he’s grateful to his friend Maestro Dirk Brossé for taking the podium in his place. He so wishes he could be with everyone and the knowledge that 5,000 of his friends will be joining together to celebrate his music is a great comfort to him as he recovers. He wishes everyone a very joyous evening of music.”
Williams also canceled several shows in Viena, where he was to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The affected shows were scheduled for Nov. 3 and 4.
Williams, whose iconic compositions have been featured in films ranging from Star Wars to Harry Potter, announced earlier this year that the current Star Wars trilogy would be his final work with the franchise and he hinted that he may be retiring from film soring completely.
