The pop superstar was scheduled to appear at the Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto on Tuesday and Wednesday, but made a last-minute decision to postpone the shows due to what he then described as an “illness.”
On Friday, Bieber posted a video on Instagram detailing the extent of his symptoms, in which the right side of his face is visibly paralyzed.
“As you can see, this eye does not blink,” he said on Instagram. “I can not smile on this side of my face; there is complete paralysis in the center of my face.”
“Therefore, for those who were disappointed by my cancellations in subsequent performances, I am physically, obviously, unable to do them.”
He said his body was telling him to “slow down” and that he hoped fans would understand.
“It’s very serious, as you can see. “I wish it were not so,” he said.
Justin Bieber announced that he has been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. (Instagram / Justin Bieber)
“It’s time to rest and relax and get back to 100 percent so I can do what I was born to do.”
The artist says he does facial exercises to help with paralysis, but he is not sure how long it will take to heal.
Former Canadian politician Olivia Chow was diagnosed with the same virus in 2013, which left her with limited movements on one side of her face.
Bieber’s June 10 concert in Washington was also canceled. No other Canadian stops are scheduled for the 2022 World Tour and it is unclear whether any of his other future appearances will be postponed.
Scotiabank Arena has previously said that tickets for canceled Toronto shows will be priced when the dates are rescheduled.
