Queen guitarist Brian May has cancelled all of his remaining 2016 activity due to, as he puts it, a "persistent illness which is destroying my energy and my will."

According to a post on his official website, this includes the cancellation of his annual December candlelight concerts with Kerry Ellis.

"I managed to complete the recent Queen and Adam Lambert dates in Asia," he explains, "[but] I am now at the point where I don't feel confident to perform the scheduled shows to the standard we all expect."

"I got myself in a very depleted state and have taken the decision now to clear my diary of everything until the end of the year.

I'm leaving today on a big steel bird to spend some time recharging in a safe place.

Need to turn off the phones and media for a while."

"Apologies to everyone involved in the things I will miss," he concludes.

"I have to get away and prioritize healing - sometimes there is no choice."%MCEPASTEBIN%