Jimin of BTS attends a press conference for BTS's new digital single 'Butter' at Olympic Hall on May 21, 2021 in Seoul, South Korea.
The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins/Getty ImagesBTS’ Jimin is in the hospital after undergoing surgery for appendicitis and testing positive for COVID, according to the group’s label Big Hit Music. The Korean singer is “currently recuperating” after the procedure and is expected to make a “speedy” recovery.
Jimin experienced “sudden abdominal pain” and a “mild sore throat” on Sunday, Jan. 30, and was taken to the emergency room that day, the label said in a statement posted to Weverse. He was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and tested positive for COVID, with doctors performing surgery on the singer early Monday morning. “He will be receiving a few days of inpatient treatment for COVID-19 in conjunction with post-operative care,” the statement read. “The surgery was successful and Jimin is currently recuperating after his procedure.”
Jimin is expected to stay in the hospital for several days and continues to have a “mild sore throat.” The label added that the singer was not in contact with the group’s other members — V, Jungkook, Suga, Jin, RM, and J-Hope — while he was infectious. (RM, Jin, and Suga tested positive for coronavirus in December and made a quick recovery.) “The company places the artists’ health as our top priority and we will do everything we can to aid Jimin in his speedy recovery,” the label added. “We will also diligently cooperate with the requests and guidelines of the healthcare authorities.”
The South Korean group, which recently headlined four sold-out shows at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, is currently on an “extended period of rest” for the first time since 2019. “The period of rest will provide the members of BTS who have tirelessly committed themselves to their activities, a chance to get re-inspired and recharge with creative energy,” a statement from Big Hit Music read at the time. “It will also be the first time for them since their debut to spend the holiday season with their families.”
BTS appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone last year. The group spoke about their “incredible success” in the United States and how their virality has sparked change. “Our existence itself is contributing to the hope for leaving this xenophobia, these negative things, behind. It’s our hope, too, that people in the minority will draw some energy and strength from our existence,” RM said last May. “The fact that we have faced success in the United States is very meaningful in and of itself.”
10cc drummer Paul Burgess has announced that he is leaving the band because the demands of touring have become too much for him.
The 75-year-old musician, who also spent time performing with Jethro Tull, Camel, Magna Carta, and The Icicle Works, has chosen to walk away from the legendary rock group after more than five decades.
He shared: “After so many wonderful years with 10cc, I must admit that the rigours of touring are no longer manageable for me as I get older, and I feel it’s time to let go of the long hours in airports and endless travel on buses.
“I’m not planning to stop playing altogether. I will still perform but at a pace that feels right, working alongside old friends and a new group of fellow musicians called The Guilty Men.”
Frontman Graham Gouldman confessed that it will feel unusual to perform without his “longest-running musical associate.”
He explained: “When Paul and I first joined forces in 10cc, we never could have imagined that we’d still be at it after 30 years, let alone 52.
“Paul has been my longest musical partner and it will feel different to turn around and see another drummer, but I completely understand why he no longer wants to sit on a plane for 14 hours or wake up in a new hotel every day for weeks at a time.”
Ben Stone, who has previously played with Mike and The Mechanics and Bonnie Tyler, will be taking over on drums.
Paul, who had several runs with 10cc after joining in 1973, performed his final show with the I’m Not In Love band in Alexandria, Virginia this past September.
The group is set to continue their And Another Bloody Greatest Hits Tour in the UK next year.
