BUSTED may “never perform again” after bandmate James Bourne’s mystery illness, according to Matt Willis.
The Year 3000 hitmakers have pulled out of a performance for the BBC amid the guitar player’s ongoing health battle.
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James (left) is currently battling a mystery illnessCredit: Getty
Busted has pulled out of an upcoming performanceCredit: Getty
James wasn’t able to do the VS tour alongside McFlyCredit: Getty
Taking to Instagram, Matt explained, “In 25 years of being in a band I have never played a show without [James] to my right.”
They were forced to call in a replacement for their recent arena tour alongside McFly.
“Playing these shows gave me mixed emotions… it was super fun but weird at the same time,” the pop-rocker admitted.
Matt went on to say, “I missed you so much brother and I don’t plan on playing in Busted ever again without you mate.
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“Thanks to everyone who came out and supported us. And thanks to all our amazing crew for making this such a mega tour.
“Special thanks to @chrisbourne for saving our bacon last minute you bloody legend. And I suppose @mcflymusic did ok too… love them really…”
Fans have flocked to the post’s comments, sending their well-wishes to James as he continues to battle the illness.
“You all did James so proud,” one said. “Should be so proud of yourselves and now time for some deserved rest.”
A second said, “Kinda bittersweet not seeing James on stage but you, Charlie, Eddy and Chris did such a spectacular job together and kept the energy high.
“Maybe you can give it a go with James in the future…”
While a third wrote, “You guys did James proud.
“Sending all the love and positive vibes to James. Team Busted always and I cannot wait to see the 3 of you together again.”
It is not known exactly what’s wrong with the star, but it was serious enough for him to be pulled from the tour with just few days’ notice.
Breaking the news initially, Matt told a Birmingham crowd: “You may have noticed our best friend is not here tonight.
“James Bourne is really f***ing sick and we love him and we miss him.
“This is the first show we’ve ever played without him and it’s really weird but we’re going to do the best we can.
“This happened really fast, y’know, health is wealth.”
James spoke out ahead of the Birmingham leg of the tour, telling fans he was “not in good enough health to play these shows”.
James has spoken out about his health battleCredit: Instagram/@jamesfutureboybourne
Matt has said he won’t perform again without JamesCredit: Getty
James hasn’t confirmed exactly what the problem isCredit: Getty
He continued, “There’s a lot of information I still don’t have about my condition but my bandmates, management and I are unanimous in deciding that I should focus on medical stuff for now.”
Busted were scheduled to perform at the Radio 1 Anthems show in Bradford on Saturday, but they’ve now pulled out.
The band wrote online: “We are sorry to say that we will no longer be performing at Radio 1’s Anthems Live in Bradford on November 15.
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“James’ health is our priority and having discussed as a band we agree it wouldn’t feel right to do this without him.
“We look forward to being back performing as a full band when the time is right.”
