Rod Stewart looked in good spirits as he was pictured cheering on his beloved Celtic FC on Wednesday night — a week after announcing he had heart surgery and would be cancelling his latest tour.
The 81-year-old rocker watched the game, which saw Celtic win 3-0 against Austrian team LASK, with his 20-year-old son Alastair, the oldest of his two sons with third wife Penny Lancaster, 55. The couple, who have been married since 2007, also share 15-year-old Aiden.
Dad-of-eight Rod is also father to daughters Sarah, 62, Kimberley, 46, Ruby, 39, and Renee, 34, and sons Sean, 45, and Liam, 31, who he shares with previous partners.
Routine coronary stent procedure
His latest public appearance comes just days after it was announced that he had undergone a 'routine coronary stent procedure' and would be taking the next month off to recover from the surgery. This meant his One Last Time tour, which still had dates in the US scheduled, including a six-night stretch at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, would have to be cancelled.
The statement issued on August 11 said: "Following further medical evaluation, Sir Rod Stewart has successfully undergone a routine coronary stent procedure. Doctors are pleased with his recovery, and Rod is doing very well and has returned to his normal daily activities.
"On the advice of doctors, he will take the next four weeks off to recuperate and regain full fitness before returning to the stage. Unfortunately, this means he will be unable to continue his current tour dates." Fans were told they would be contacted about refunds or rescheduled gigs.
Recent health issues
The tour cancellation comes after Rod axed several shows at the last minute. He pulled out of his August gig in Cincinnati just a few hours before it was due to start, saying: "Due to an unforeseen but minor medical procedure that required prompt attention, Rod Stewart's performance tonight in Cincinnati has been postponed."
Earlier in the summer, he cancelled another performance because of health reasons. Doctors diagnosed the star with an acute upper respiratory infection. It later resulted in laryngitis, meaning he was unable to sing.
Rod recently had to stop a gig in Utah back in June to take several puffs on an oxygen tank. He told the audience: "I was trying to dance and nearly f***ing fainted," before finishing the rest of the concert sitting in a chair.
World Cup controversy
Despite his recent health woes and a cancelled gig in California in June, he sparked controversy when he was spotted at a World Cup game just hours later to watch his beloved Scotland play against Haiti.
Following a backlash from fans, Rod told talkSPORT: "I really shouldn't have gone to the Haiti game. You know, I had to cancel a show the night before because I just had no voice left.
"But the truth is I wasn't going to let my two sons down. I promised them since they were born that we were going to go to a World Cup. And this is the first one that's come about. It wasn't a good look, I admit, but I'm going to have to just take the stick. So I did it for the boys."
Determined to return
Though he is in his eighties, it seems Rod has no plans of stopping any time soon, as he said in the same Instagram post: "I'm already feeling better and very much on the mend. I want to thank the doctors, nurses and everyone who has taken such wonderful care of me.
"I'm deeply disappointed to miss these shows and sorry to let my fans down, but I look forward to getting back on stage and having a good time with you all again soon. Rod."
Last year Rod, who has been performing for 64 years, vowed never to retire. Taking to Instagram, the Maggie May singer defiantly told fans: "I was put on this earth to be a singer and will keep doing so for as long as the good lord lets me."
