Rod Stewart says recovery is 'brilliant' after tour-ending heart procedure

Rod Stewart says his recovery from a heart procedure is “F-king brilliant” as he prepares for one last rock’n’roll tour next year.

The 81-year-old singer gave the update to The Daily Mail while leaving a performance of Sinatra The Musical in London with his wife, Penny Lancaster, according to Billboard. He said he had swum 400 metres during his recovery. He is 81.

Stewart cancelled the remaining dates of his 2026 North American farewell tour in August after undergoing the heart procedure. That decision came two months after another late cancellation in June, when he called off a concert one hour before showtime because of a reported acute upper respiratory infection.

In August, he underwent a coronary stent procedure. A stent is a small mesh tube placed to keep an artery open and blood flowing. He announced the procedure in a statement shared on Instagram. It was described as routine and successful, according to ABC News.

Doctors ordered him to cancel the rest of the tour. They said they were pleased with his progress and that he had returned to normal daily activities at the time of the announcement. They advised him to take four weeks to recuperate and regain full fitness before returning to the stage.

For a touring singer, that order means no travel, no rehearsals and no shows. The run that was stopped was billed as the “One Last Time” tour, according to Reuters. It was presented as his North American farewell tour.

In September, Stewart told fans on Instagram that next year will be his last tour ever. Dates are set for April through July 2027. He said he is not retiring. The farewell will be his last rock’n’roll tour, not his last performances.

Lancaster has said Stewart is never retiring and will tour rock’n’roll until 2028 before changing direction to the Great American Songbook. That phrase refers to the classic American pop standards of the last century, a catalogue he has also recorded. Her comments point to a change in material rather than a stop to singing.

For fans, this means the interrupted North American dates remain cancelled while a new farewell run is being put together for next year. The timeline is tight for a performer in his eighties after heart surgery. His message for now is simple. Recovery is on track.