Bad Company will not be reuniting for their Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction this weekend, frontman Paul Rodgers has confirmed.
The legendary supergroup – consisting of Rodgers, drummer Simon Kirke, late guitarist Mick Ralphs and late bassist Boz Burrell – are due to be inducted into the coveted Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame on Saturday (November 8).
The group’s two surviving members Rodgers and Kirke were due to reunite after officially retiring in 2023 for their induction speech and a special performance, backed by fill-in musicians.
Now, Paul Rodgers has confirmed that he will not be attending the ceremony due to his health. He wrote in an Instagram post last night (November 3): “My hope was to be at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony and to perform for the fans, but at this time I have to prioritize my health. I have no problem singing, it’s the stress of everything else. Thanks for understanding.”
He went on to confirm that “Simon along with some outstanding musicians will be stepping in for me – guaranteed to rock.”
The British-Canadian frontman faced a string of minor and major strokes over the last couple of years, leading to Bad Company’s retirement in 2023, though they had last performed together in 2019.
In 2023, Rodgers discussed the strokes that left him unable to talk: “I couldn’t do anything, to be honest. I couldn’t speak. That was the very strange thing. You know, I’d prepare something in my mind and I’d say it, but that isn’t what came out and I’d go, ‘What the heck did I just say?’”
Rodgers suffered his first major stroke in 2016 and a second in October 2019 which led to major surgery, during which they performed an endarterectomy – a procedure to remove plaque clogging an artery which posed a risk to the artist’s vocal cords.
After years of recovery, Rodgers was finally able to regain full control of his speech and singing abilities, and returned to the studio sometime in 2021.
Founding guitarist Mick Ralphs – who also suffered a major stroke in 2016 – died in June at the age of 81. Founding bassist Boz Burrell died in 2006, while former vocalist Brian Howe died in 2020 at the age of 66.
Other acts being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this weekend are The White Stripes, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, Soundgarden, Thom Bell, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Nicky Hopkins, Carol Kaye, Salt-N-Pepa, Lenny Waronker and Warren Zevon.