Robbie Williams has been forced to cancel a planned performance in Turkey over terror fears, the singer revealed in a statement released on Saturday.
The Angels hitmaker, 51, took to Instagram to share with devastated fans that he had no option but to cancel his set in Istanbul. Robbie said, “I’m extremely sorry that I will not be able to perform in Istanbul next week.”
The former Take That frontman continued: “City authorities have cancelled the show, in the interests of public safety. The last thing I would ever want to do is to jeopardise the safety of my fans – their safety and security come first.”
“We were very excited to be playing Istanbul for the first time, and purposely chose the city as the final show of the BRITPOP tour. To end this epic run of dates in front of my Turkish fans was my dream, given the close connections my family have with this wonderful country.”
“To everyone in Istanbul who wanted to join the 1.2 million people who have shared this phenomenal tour this year with us, I am deeply sorry. We were so looking forward to this show but the decision to cancel it was beyond our control.”
Robbie was due to perform at Atakoy Marina on October 7, coinciding with the second anniversary of the terror attacks on Israel by Hamas. According to local publication Turkiye Today, organisers cited potential security risks and public backlash as the reasons behind the cancellation.
The singer has previously faced criticism for marrying wife Ayda Field, 46, who has Turkish heritage through her father, while her American mother is Jewish. The couple are proud parents to daughter Teddy, 12; son Charlie, 10; daughter Coco, six; and son Beau, four.
Robbie was also scheduled to release his latest studio album, *Britpop*, just days later on October 10. However, the release has now been pushed back to avoid clashing with Taylor Swift’s *Life Of A Showgirl* tour. Robbie previously told fans: “Due to scheduling changes, *Britpop* will now be released on February 6, 2026.”
In other news, it was revealed in August that Robbie is being sued by the co-writer of his smash hit “Angels,” who claims to have earned just £7,500 from the song.
Ray Heffernan is fighting for a third of the future royalties associated with the single, which had sold an estimated 1.8 million copies in the UK as of 2021, combining physical and digital sales. The Irish singer-songwriter, who penned the hit at age 22, aims to use the new “bestseller clause” recently passed by the EU.
The origins of the song date back to 1996 when Mr. Heffernan met Robbie Williams during a night out in Dublin over the Christmas holidays. Heffernan played the song to the former Take That star at his mother’s house, and the pair then recorded a first version of the single.
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*Stay tuned for further updates on Robbie Williams and his upcoming projects.*
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