Deacon Blue musician James Prime is “seriously ill” after being taken to intensive care, the band have announced.
The Scottish group have revealed that co-founder Prime, who plays the keyboard, has been rushed to hospital with a mystery illness.
Deacon Blue, who are set to play a series of shows in September, shared a statement on Instagram, reading: “Dear friends, we wanted to share some news with you about our brother, Jim.”
They explained: “Unfortunately, he is seriously ill and undergoing care in hospital. We would like you to join us in wishing him well and to share our love with him.
The band, including singers Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, said that Prime “encouraged us to continue” on their tour without him.
‘We spoke to Jim yesterday about Deacon Blue’s plans for the rest of the year, and he encouraged us to continue with love in our hearts and with his full blessing that the shows go ahead, even if it means replacing the irreplaceable James Miller Prime for the time being,” they said.
“Together with Jim’s family, we want to thank all the nurses, doctors and ICU staff for their ongoing care, professionalism and compassion.”
Deacon Blue, who topped the charts between 1987 and 1994, also consists of drummer Dougie Vipond, guitarist Gregor Philp and bassist Lewis Gordon. They have sold more than six million records and are best known for tracks including “Dignity”, "Closing Time", Hang Your Head" and “Real Gone Kid”.
The forthcoming tour is a celebration of their 40th anniversary, having formed in Glasgow in 1985. They got their name from the 1977 Steely Dan song “Deacon Blues“.
Speaking about the shows, Ross said: “I love the idea that a circus coming to town is a temporary existence, a little bit of magic suddenly appears in the middle of a town or a village and then it goes away.
“It’s very similar to what you do live. The live experience is so ephemeral, at the end of a show people lose all their inhibitions, and then it’s over. You have to be there. That’s what’s magical about it.
“There will be two different shows, we’re curating a show that changes and evolves, pulling out little surprises every now and again.
“The theatres are more intimate and give us a chance to bring out one or two things that we wouldn’t do in the arenas. They give us a chance to play songs from the new album and songs from other albums that we have never played before.
They will also play big shows in arenas, with Ross stating: “We suit the show to the place we’re playing and our mantra is ‘we want people to have the best night of their lives.’ Every night has got to be brilliant.”
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