Patti Smith was forced to cancel a show in Italy this week after reportedly being rushed to hospital with a “sudden illness”.

The singer-songwriter and memoirist who has recently announced she was play Dublin's Vicar street next year, fell ill suddenly before her show in Bologna.

Smith was due to perform at the Duse Theater in Bologna on Tuesday (December 12), but the show was cancelled at short notice.

After falling ill, Smith was taken to the Maggiore hospital in Bologna and put under observations according to Italian news sources.

"With great regret, we inform the kind audience that Patti Smith’s concert will not be able to go on stage due to a sudden illness that struck the artist,” wrote the Duse Theatre in a press release, which has been translated into English.

“We are all sorry for the inconvenience caused by this news. Our best wishes for a speedy recovery go to the artist.”

Smith was performing as part of an eight-show Italian tour, and is due to play at the Teatro Malibran in Venice on Thursday (December 14), but it’s not yet been confirmed if the show will go ahead. Her last performance was at the Duomo di Siena in Siena on Monday (December 11).

Smith spoke about her health in an interview with The Guardian in 2020, where she revealed that she had struggled during the pandemic because she suffers from a lifelong bronchial condition.

Tickets for The Patti Smith Quartet Gig in Vicar Street on the 27th and 28th of June 2024 are set to go on general sale Friday the 15th of December.