AC/DC postpone US tour as singer Brian Johnson 'risks going completely deaf'

Shows running from 8 March to 4 April will be postponed until later in the year

Brian Johnson performing with the band in LA in 2015 (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

AC/DC are postponing the rest of their US tour after the rock band’s lead singer was advised he could risk total hearing loss if he continued with the remaining dates.

The news about 68-year-old Brian Johnson, who has been the lead singer since 1980, has received an outpouring of support from fans.

The Gateshead-born singer's first album with the band, Back in Black, was released the same year he joined. With around 50 million sales, it is the second best-selling album in the world, beaten only by Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

The Australian band, which formed in 1973, said in a statement: “AC/DC are forced to reschedule the 10 upcoming dates on the US leg of their ‘Rock or Bust’ World Tour. AC/DC’s lead singer, Brian Johnson, has been advised by doctors to stop touring immediately or risk total hearing loss.”

The tour began on 2 February in Tacoma, Washington state. The 10 shows which are being postponed for later in the year run from 8 March until 4 April.

The band said that it was likely that the rescheduled shows would feature a guest vocalist.

However, some fans expressed their disappointment at this prospect.

Peter O’Brien wished him good health. “You owe fans nothing, you’ve given us more than enough.”

In 2014, founder Malcolm Young stopped playing with the band after he revealed that he had dementia.

AC/DC has released 17 albums to date. In 2003, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.