Richard Marx has revealed that Rod Stewart was "bummed out" after being forced to cancel a series of live dates this year, but confirmed the pair will reunite on stage in 2027. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, 63, was supporting the 81-year-old on the One Last Time tour when Stewart underwent a routine coronary stent procedure in August 2026, which led to the cancellation of the remaining US dates.
Marx 'gutted' over cancelled shows
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Marx said: "I was gutted [when the tour was cancelled]. I keep looking at it as the glass is half full. We did around 10 shows together, maybe eight shows. We were supposed to do 17. It is what it is. I know that he still is very bummed out that happened, but he's human and he's 81 and he's still extraordinary. But he just had some issues that he needed to have taken care of and I'm just glad he's okay."
Marx added that the cancelled dates have been rescheduled: "We're going to come back together next year and do some of those shows - they're rescheduled for next year. So, we'll get back together and do those and who knows what else we'll do next year."
A dream come true on tour
The singer confessed that touring with the legendary star was a dream come true and revealed they are soon set to take a break together with their wives. "There were nights when I would be up on stage with him singing Some Guys Have All the Luck and my jaw would just drop."
"We're pals and we're actually going on a little trip with his wife and my wife Daisy. So we're friends now. But he's still Rod Stewart to me in those moments. I look across the stage, and I can't believe I'm doing this with Rod Stewart. It's just amazing," he said.
Praise for Stewart's songwriting
Marx also praised Stewart's songwriting legacy: "I didn't become friends with Rod until the last few years, but he was always my favorite live performer. I've seen him live in concert in my lifetime more than I've seen anybody else."
"I believe that he's an incredibly underrated songwriter because if you look at the songs he has given us over the years - people don't remember that he wrote Tonight's the Night, that he wrote Young Turks, that he wrote Maggie May - this list of songs that he wrote. He's not given the credit as a songwriter that he's due. So as a songwriter, I've always really admired his writing and that voice, which is so unique," he smiled.
Solo UK shows ahead
Despite his disappointment at the cancellation, Marx is currently out on the road on his own and will play solo UK shows at the London Palladium on October 6 and 7. "I loved doing that tour with Rod, but there's nothing like doing my shows."
"I have no restrictions. When I'm on tour and headlining, I do whatever I want. My shows are really interactive. There's a lot of goofing around in between songs," he said, adding that for him, "what happens in between the songs is really the show."
Richard Marx plays the London Palladium on 6 and 7 October 2026. Tickets are on sale now via LW Theatres.
