ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Rock ban Heart has canceled its current tour, including Allentown Fair's opening night grandstand show, as singer Ann Wilson undergoes treatment for cancer, it was announced Tuesday.
Wilson released a statement detailing the events that led to the decision, saying that while she felt well, her physicians had recommended additional treatment for her condition.
“Dear friends," she said in an Instagram post, "I underwent an operation to remove something that, as it turns out, was cancerous.
"The operation was successful & I’m feeling great but my doctors are now advising me to undergo a course of preventive chemotherapy & I’ve decided to do it.
"And so my doctors are instructing me to take the rest of the year away from the stage in order to fully recover.
"To the ticket buyers, I really do wish we could do these gigs. Please know that I absolutely plan to be back on stage in 2025. My team is getting those details sorted & we’ll let you know the plan as soon as we can.
"Thank you all for the support.
"This is merely a pause.
"I’ve much more to sing.
"Love, Ann Wilson."
Wilson also said that, "Respectfully, this is the last public statement l’d like to make on the matter.”
The band, famed for hits such as “Alone,” “Barracuda,” “Magic Man,” “Crazy on You” and others, was slated to headline the Allentown Fair with opener Cheap Trick on Aug. 28.
Fair Marketing and Entertainment Manager Jessica Ciecwisz said the fair, of course, was disappointed by the announcement, but wished Wilson well.
"It would have been great for the fair and for the [fair society], but health is more important," Ciecwisz said.
"It's always sad to see. I don't know what to say."
Ciecwisz said ticket sales for the show, which went on sale in February, were good, and the fair already is working to try to get the band back for the fair in 2025.
In addition, the fair was working to fill the opening night spot that Heart has left open.
History of a hitmaking machine
Heart took off in 1975, and since then has sold 25 million copies of its 15 studio albums, nine live discs and 10 compilations.
Their debut, 1975’s “Dreamboat Annie,” sold platinum and debuted in the Albums chart Top 10. In addition to “Magic Man” and “Crazy On You,” it had a hit with the title track.
In 1977’s “Little Queen” saw the band earn even more success, as it sold triple-platinum and produced the hit “Barracuda.”
The group saw its biggest success with its self-titled 1985 album, which sold five-times platinum, hit No. 1, and gave the group it’s biggest hit single, “These Dreams.”
In 1988, the group released triple-platinum “Bad Animals,” featuring the hit “Alone.”
It continued to have success through the 1993 album “Desire Walks On,” which sold gold. Its most recent album of new music was 2016’s “Beautiful Broken.”
Heart was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
From 2016-19, Heart went on hiatus after the sisters’ relationship was strained by Ann Wilson's husband, Dean Wetter, pleading guilty to assaulting Nancy Wilson's 16-year-old twin sons.
The group reunited in 2019, but its tour was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. In 2022, Nancy Wilson went on tour with her own version of Heart, called Nancy Wilson's Heart, which in June performed at Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem.
