AMERICAN R&B crooner R Kelly who was heavily advertised for the Reggae Sumfest stage on Friday will not be making that trip to Jamaica.

News broke early yesterday that the International Night 1 headline act had undergone emergency surgery to drain an abscess from his tonsil. His publicist Allan Mayer said that the singer will be ‘laid up indefinitely’ at Chicago’s North-western Memorial Hospital. “Kelly’s unforeseen and unavoidable health issues will prevent him from making a scheduled appearance on the music festival. We are truly going to miss his presence on the festival,” Johnny Gourzong, Summerfest Productions executive director, commented.

He then moved on to assure patrons that the “greatest reggae festival on earth” would proceed even as his team seeks a replacement for the singer/songwriter. “We are exploring several options. We are trying to find a suitable act to step up the stage on short notice,” he further explained.

Gourzong indicated that it was too soon to tell who the possible Friday night replacement act may be, “but an announcement will be forthcoming through our media partners and social media.”

Reggae Sumfest kicked off last Sunday night (July 17) with a beach party and continues tonight through Saturday with the main festival nights at Catherine Hall in Montego Bay. International superstar Nicki Minaj will be joined by Beres Hammond, Jah Cure, Vybz Kartel, Mavado, Half Pint and several more acts on the world-class stage.