Miranda Lambert Cancels Tour Down Under Due to Illness

Miranda Lambert has cancelled her planned Australian tour opening for Alan Jackson, due to a respiratory infection. The tour —which Jackson will continue—is set to kick off Friday in Melbourne.

“I was very much looking forward to Australia with Alan Jackson and performing for all the music lovers down under,” says a disappointed Lambert in a press statement.

Australian artists Jasmine Rae and the duo McAlister Kemp will now fill her spot on the tour, and singer John Williamson will replace Lambert at the CMC Rocks the Hunter festival this weekend in Australia’s Hunter Valley wine region.

Lambert’s mother and fan club president, Bev Lambert, posted a message on her daughter’s Web site asking fans for “good wishes for Ran for a speedy recovery as we nurse her back to health. We will see to it that she receives the best of care to get her back on her feet and on tour as quickly as possible,” she wrote.