Patti Smith, 76, Taken to Hospital With Sudden Illness, Cancels Italy Show

While on tour in Italy, Patti Smith had to be hospitalized with a “sudden illness” on Tuesday, December 12, according to the venue Teatro Duse in Bologna. Her show was canceled and the venue put out a statement to fans.

“With great regret, we inform the kind audience that the [Patti Smith] concert scheduled for today 12 December 2023 at 9 pm will not be able to go on stage due to a sudden illness that struck the artist,” Teatro Duse wrote on Instagram. “We are all sorry for the inconvenience caused by this news. Our best wishes for a speedy recovery go to the artist.”

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Patti Smith Hospitalized, Forced to Cancel Italy Show

There is no additional news on Smith’s health or what happened on Tuesday which caused the hospitalization. Smith’s social media and representatives remain quiet on the subject. The 76-year-old has been playing shows in Italy since November 28, when she began in Ancona, and then moving to Bari, Naples, and Modena. This Thursday she is slated to perform in Venice, and there has currently been no news to the contrary.

Smith also has U.S. dates coming up; she’ll be in Chicago on December 27, and in Brooklyn on December 29 and 30. Check out all of her upcoming shows here.

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In 2004, Smith contributed to the Bob Marley photo book Rebel Music: Bob Marley & Roots Reggae, which was updated and made widely available for the first time this November. The iconic photos of Marley were taken by photographer Kate Simon, who first met him in 1975. The book featured 400 photos taken by Simon, with an introduction by Smith.

“Kate shot in an honest, direct manner,” wrote Smith. “She did not seek to expose, but to shoot the picture her subject pictured—the joyful, mutable moments. How fortunate we are to have these images.”

Lenny Kravitz also contributed words to the book, writing in the afterword, “This collection of timeless photographs gives us an up close inside look at this uniquely complex man and brilliant iconic artist who forever changed the world.”

Featured Image by Rob Kim/Getty Images