Gary Numan broke down on stage at the O2 Academy Birmingham on Saturday evening after receiving what he described as 'the worst news ever', according to reports. The 67-year-old musician became emotional mid-performance during his song 'Please Push No More', prompting his wife Gemma O'Neil to comfort him on stage.
The 'Cars' hitmaker told the audience he had received the distressing news that morning and would share details with fans in the coming days once he had processed it. Numan, who has Asperger's syndrome, is currently on his Telekon tour, celebrating the 45th anniversary of the album which reached UK number one in 1980.
Despite the incident, Numan is scheduled to continue his tour, with upcoming dates in Bristol, Cardiff, Bournemouth, London, Brighton, Southend, Nottingham, Cambridge, Norwich, Manchester, Liverpool, Dublin, and Belfast before a Christmas break. He will then perform on The 80's Cruise 2026 and head to the US for another leg of the tour.
This incident comes shortly after Numan celebrated his 1,000th gig, a milestone he only became aware of thanks to a fan who compiled his performance data. Reflecting on the achievement, Numan said, 'Playing 1,000 shows is quite something... Each tour is a life within a life, a world within a world.'
Numan has previously spoken about the support of his wife Gemma, whom he married in 1997. He credited her with helping him through a low point in his career, saying, 'It was all down to Gemma making me realise what my strengths were.' The couple have three daughters together.
