Johnny Depp and his rock band the Hollywood Vampires are postponing three U.S. tour dates.
In a Monday letter posted to the actor-musician’s Instagram stories, Depp expressed regret over the situation.
“My dear friends, I am sorry to say that I have fractured my ankle, which is a drag!!!” the 59-year-old wrote in the since-expired missive. “It began as a hairline break but somewhere between Cannes and the Royal Albert Hall, it got worse rather than better.”
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Finding Neverland” star said that under the advisement of multiple medical professionals — who “strongly suggested” the actor avoid physical activity of any kind — he is unable to travel for the time being.
“To that end, the guys and I are very sorry to miss you in New Hampshire, Boston and New York but fear not, I promise we will bring an amazing show to all of you in Europe and bring our absolute best to the East Coast later this summer and make it up to those who have paid for those shows!!!” he continued. “Again, sincerest apologies. All my love and respect, J.D. x.”
The Hollywood Vampires, the supergroup that Depp debuted in 2015 with Alice Cooper and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, also confirmed that he “sustained a painful injury to his ankle” following his trip to France for the annual Cannes Film Festival earlier this month.
“He is devastated by this turn of events, but looks forward to resting up so all four Vampires can bring their absolute best to the tour in Europe,” the group wrote on social media.
The concerts in Boston; Manchester, New Hampshire, and Bethel, New York, will be postponed to July 28, 29 and 30, according to the band’s post.
Depp recently attended the 2023 Cannes Film Festival to promote his French film “Jeanne du Barry,” which was controversially chosen to open the festival. It marked Depp’s return to the big screen since the highly publicized defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard made the public privy to alarming details involving their troubled marriage.
The film received a seven-minute standing ovation, and although Depp was teary-eyed as he waved and thanked fans following the film’s screening, he didn’t mince words the next day at an accompanying press conference. Depp told reporters he was “boycotted” and would prefer his return to the industry not be referred to as a “comeback.”
“I didn’t go anywhere,” he said. “I live about 45 minutes away from here, in fact. Maybe people stopped calling — out of whatever their fear was at the time — but I didn’t go nowhere … ‘Comeback’ is almost like I’m going to come out and do a tap dance — dance my best and hope you approve. That’s the notion. It’s a bizarre mystery.”
“Did I feel boycotted by Hollywood?” he responded to one reporter’s question. “You’d have to not have a pulse to not feel that, of course, when you’re asked to resign from a film you’re doing [‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’] for something that is merely just a bunch of vowels and consonants in the air.
“Do I feel boycotted now? No, I don’t feel boycotted by Hollywood, because I don’t think about Hollywood. I don’t have much use for Hollywood, do you? It’s a strange, funny time when people feel like they can’t be themselves; they must fall in line with the person in front of them. If you want to live that life, I wish you the best, I’ll see you on the other side.”