Former Smiths star Stricken Morrissey says he is retiring from music following weeks of illness.
The 53-year-old singer, who is currently laid up battling a number of ailments including pneumonia, a bleeding ulcer and a throat condition, axed 22 dates on his North American tour at the weekend and has frequently been forced to postpone gigs due to poor health, reported Sun online.
"It takes a lifetime to find the right words, and at the moment, I haven't got them. I've been a colossal pain where this continuously unpredictable illness is concerned, and now the physical limits have been reached.
"The tour had, in fact, been fantastic for all of us - a new slice of life full of concentrated power. The audiences everywhere have given so much, although I know that neither of us will ever receive our due. I hope this isn't the end, and I hope there will be other chances, minus the heavy burden of illness. Knots of grief today, but full of resolve for tomorrow," he said in a statement.
