Justin Bieber is postponing his tour due to a virus that has caused partial facial paralysis.
“I wanted to update you guys on what’s been going on,” Bieber said in an Instagram video posted Friday. “As you can see from my face, I have this syndrome called Ramsay Hunt syndrome, and it is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear and my facial nerves and has caused my face to have paralysis.”
As the nearly 3-minute video progressed, Bieber demonstrated how his nerves had been affected on the right side of his face.
“As you can see, this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move,” Bieber continued. “So there’s full paralysis on this side of my face.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, Ramsay Hunt syndrome occurs in people who have had chickenpox and is an outbreak of shingles that affects the nerve near one ear and causes unilateral paralysis and hearing loss. It is most common in people over the age of 60.
The announcement was made by the “Love Yourself” singer in Washington, D.C. and came after a set of shows in Toronto was postponed earlier in the week due to a previously unknown illness.
“So for those who are frustrated by my cancellations of the next shows, I’m just physically, obviously not capable of doing them,” Bieber noted in the video. “This is pretty serious, as you can see. I wish this wasn’t the case, but obviously, my body is telling me I gotta slow down.”
During his hiatus, the 28-year-old artist plans to spend time resting and relaxing, assuring his fans, “I’m gonna get better, and I’m doing all these facial exercises to get my face back to normal.”
“I love you guys. Thanks for being patient with me,” he told his 240 million Instagram followers. “It’s gonna be OK, and I have hope. I trust God and I trust that this is all for a reason and I’m not sure what that is right now, but in the meantime, I’m gonna rest and I love you guys.”
