Bryan Adams has hit out at Chinese people in an expletive-filled rant on the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
The Canadian pop-rocker was due to start a concert residency at the Royal Albert Hall in London this week but it was cancelled due to the outbreak.
Posting an acoustic rendition of the song Cuts Like a Knife on his Instagram page, the singer wrote: "CUTS LIKE A KNIFE. A song by me.
"Tonight was supposed to be the beginning of a tenancy of gigs at the @royalalberthall, but thanks to some f*****g bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making greedy b*****ds, the whole world is now on hold, not to mention the thousands that have suffered or died from this virus.
"My message to them other than “thanks a f*****g lot” is go vegan. To all the people missing out on our shows, I wish I could be there more than you know."
Adams' rant possibly stems from a number of theories surrounding the origin of the virus.
After originally breaking out in the Chinese city of Wuhan, one theory suggested the virus was passed on to humans through eating bats.
Some of the earliest cases of the disease were found in people who had visited a wet market in Wuhan, which sells fresh meat and seafood, and it led to fears meat bought there could have been the source.
But several other early cases were found in people who hadn't been to a wet market.
Donald Trump and his administration have supported the theory that the virus was caused by eating bats, while some celebrities have also discussed the possible link.
Queen member Brian May spoke to NME and said "this pandemic seemed to come from people eating animals" while former Beatle Paul McCartney said eating bats was "medieval" when he spoke to US radio host Howard Stern last month.
Adams' comments drew a fierce response from many on Twitter, with one commenter saying he was "hateful."
