NEW ORLEANS -- Aretha Franklin will no longer headline Jazz Fest on April 28. Instead, Rod Stewart will take her place.
According to New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival officials, Franklin stepped down on the advice of her doctor, who said she is unable to perform.
“Aretha Franklin has been ordered by her doctor to stay off the road and rest completely for at least the next two months. She is extremely disappointed she cannot perform at this year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival as she had expected and hoped to," the statement reads.
Rod Stewart will join the likes of Aerosmith, Jimmy Buffet, Sting, Beck, David Byrne, Lionel Richie, Steve Miller Band, Common, Sting, Jack Johnson, Bonnie Raitt, Smokey Robinson, Sheryl Crow, Lyle Lovitt and more.
There will also be a tribute to Fats Domino, performed by an assortment of artists.