Queen star Brian May has cancelled all his scheduled shows in December due to 'a persistent illness'.

The 69-year-old singer and guitarist was due to perform a number of live dates alongside his regular collaborator, musical theatre star Kerry Ellis, in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

The cancellations were announced in a statement on May's official website on Friday, with the star apologising to his fans.

Illness: Queen star Brian May has cancelled all his scheduled shows in December due to 'a persistent illness'

Apologising for indefinitely postponing the 11 Candlelight Concerts, Brian wrote that he's fighting 'a persistent illness which is destroying my energy and my will'.

He wrote: 'I'm gutted to have to pull out - I hate letting our loyal fans down. But the advice I have had is that I must take time off to heal, rather than go out on tour again and risk falling down on the job, which would be much worse.'

While Kerry added: 'Brian is a dear friend of mine and obviously his health must come first.

Cancelled: The 69-year-old singer and guitarist was due to perform a number of live dates alongside musical theatre star Kerry Ellis in the weeks leading up to Christmas

'I was so looking forward to touring the UK again with Brian. I know so many of you had bought tickets for an early Christmas treat, and I am truly sorry that we are letting so many of you down. But we will be back next year for sure, with new music for you all to hear.'

The Queen star previously had a prostate cancer scare, but got the all clear in 2014, revealing that he celebrated the news with a calming cup of tea.

'I am - thank God - in the clear. It's a great relief,' May wrote on his blog after undergoing a prostate biopsy. 'I celebrated in the studio with a cup of tea.

'Gutted': The cancellations were announced in a statement on May's official website on Friday, with the star apologising to his fans

'There are still some mysteries to solve, but I am going to take a moment to count my blessings and get back into life in the big wide world.'

The news was especially poignant for May as his own father died of cancer in his sixties.

May had been suffering from severe back pain for the some time and subjected to a successions of scans, blood tests and ultrasounds to see what the problem could be and to rule out cancer.