David Bowie will never tour again, says festival organiser

John Giddings, organiser of the Isle of Wight festival, says the star confided in him that he would never return to the stage

David Bowie, now 68, has refused to go on the road since he experienced a medical emergency in 2004 (Getty)

David Bowie has said he will never tour again, according to one of the UK’s leading festival organisers.

The release of the musician’s 2013 album The Next Day had sparked hopes among fans that would take to the stage for the first time since 2004.

But Isle of Wight festival organiser John Giddings told Music Week that the star had confided in him personally that he would never return to the stage.

“David is one of the best artists I’ve ever worked with,” Mr Giddings said. “But every time I see him now, before I even speak to him, he goes, ‘I’m not touring’ and I say, ‘I’m not asking’.”

Bowie has refused to go on the road since he experienced a medical emergency in 2004. The singer, who is now 68, underwent an emergency angioplasty to relieve an “acutely blocked artery”, his spokesman said at the time.

Mr Giddings said: “He has decided to retire and, like Phil Collins, you can’t demand these people go out there again and again and again.”