While fans and friends rally around Justin Bieber following his recent health setback after being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which is causing him partial facial paralysis, the American pop singer’s date with Dubai is scheduled to go ahead as planned.
On June 10, the 28-year-old pop singer announced he was pausing his ‘Justice World Tour’ due to his illness, hours before his first slated concert in Toronto. However, local organisers TOP Entertainment have assured fans Bieber will keep his two-date promise with Dubai.
“Health always comes first and all of us here at TOP Entertainment wish Justin a speedy recovery and know that he is getting the best care possible,” said Thomas Ovesen, owner of TOP Entertainment in a statement to Gulf News. He further added: We are looking forward to his Dubai performances on October 8th and 9th as part of his Justice World Tour - and want to reassure his Middle East fans that the shows are still going ahead as planned.”
Bieber will perform on two nights in Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena with tickets for the gigs now on sale.
Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is a complication of shingles that occurs when an outbreak impacts the facial nerve near one ear. In addition to facial paralysis, it can cause hearing loss.
On Friday, in a video posted on his Instagram, Bieber broke the news to his millions of fans. “As you can see, this eye is not blinking, I can’t smile on this side of my face, this nostril will not move,” Bieber explained in a video. “So, there’s full paralysis on this side of my face. So for those who are frustrated by my cancellations of the next shows, I’m just physically, obviously, not capable of doing them. This is pretty serious, as you can see.”
It’s the third instance Bieber’s tour has been postponed, the first two due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bieber’s health scare comes months after his wife, Hailey Bieber, underwent a heart procedure following a mini-stroke.
“I couldn’t speak, the right side of my face started drooping, I couldn’t get a sentence out,” she said in April.
Hailey, the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin, underwent a procedure to close the hole. “The biggest thing I feel is I just feel really relieved that we were able to figure everything out, that we were able to get it closed. That I will be able to just move on from this really scary situation and just live my life,” the 25-year-old added.
