Peter Murphy suffers heart attack; remainder of New York City residency postponed

Photo by Gabriel Edvy

Peter Murphy remains hospitalized in New York City after suffering a heart attack this week, which has forced the former Bauhaus frontman to scrub the remaining five dates of his 12-concert residency in that city, his publicists announced Wednesday.

On Tuesday evening, according to a press statement, Murphy was rushed to a New York City hospital after suffering from shortness of breath. That night’s concert at Le Poisson Rouge — at which he was to perform his album Lion in full — was canceled.

Wednesday morning, the concerts’ promoters learned he had suffered a heart attack.

Cardiologist Jason Song, of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, issued the following statement:

Mr. Murphy was admitted for treatment of a myocardial infarction. He had two stents placed in his right coronary artery and was started on medications to manage his heart condition. Due to HIPAA regulations we cannot reveal further details of his condition. He is still in the hospital for continued monitoring of his condition.

Due to Murphy’s condition, the next four shows of the residency — Aug. 15, 16, 18 and 19 — are postponed “to later dates to be determined.” No announcement has been made about resceduling Tuesday night’s concert. Ticketholders will have their tickets transferred to the new dates or they can request refunds by emailing info@lprnyc.com by 5 p.m. EDT on Aug. 30.

Murphy’s family released the following statement: “We would like to thank the fans for their undying support and hope that Peter will be back on stage with a refreshed heart, stronger than before!”

The New York residency followed Murphy’s run of shows in San Francisco earlier this year, which itself had been beset by problems — it was rescheduled three times over health and immigration troubles, and when it finally was set to get underway, Murphy was stuck in Los Angeles and missed the first show.

Murphy recently sat down with Sirius XM’s Lori Majewski to talk about the New York City residency, an interview in which he acknowledged the physical toll that such long stretches of shows can take on him. That full interview is scheduled to be broadcast on Thursday’s edition of Sirius XM’s “Feedback” show, which airs from 7 to 10 a.m. Eastern on Volume channel 106.

Below, you can hear an excerpt from that interview.

Peter Murphy’s New York residency

Aug. 13: Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY (Lion)
Aug. 15: Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY (Greatest Hits)
Aug. 16: Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY (Bauhaus set)
Aug. 18: Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY (Tribute to David Bowie)
Aug. 19: Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY (Tribute to David Bowie)

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