Sir Rod Stewart cancels Australian show at the last minute due to mystery illness

After finally making his way down under for his last-ever Australian and New Zealand shows, Sir Rod Stewart has cancelled a concert at the last minute due to a mystery illness.

The 'Maggie May' singer was scheduled to play Geelong in Australia as part of his A Day On The Green tour, however just six hours before he was due to appear on stage he released a statement cancelling the show.

Sharing the news to his Instagram account, he wrote that he was "absolutely downhearted" to be "disappointing" fans and is working hard to return to the stage.

He said: "Late this morning I was advised that I have a viral infection and my throat is too irritated to sing.

"I'm only human and sometimes get sick just like you do. My greatest joy is performing for you, so I’m doing everything I can to get on the mend and back on stage."s.

It is currently unclear how the mystery illness will affect the rest of the tour.

Next month the 78-year-old singer will be take to the stage at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on April 5 before heading north to Napier on April 8 and then to Auckland's Spark Arena on April 9, with Cyndi Lauper and New Zealand's very own Jon Steven