Singer Adam Lambert said this week that Queen guitarist Brian May is recovering after he was forced to postpone a UK tour due to illness.

“I spoke to him the other night and he is in great spirits and he is so excited for potentially doing some more performances next year,” Lambert told BANG Showbiz on the red carpet at the BBC Music Awards in London. “I can't really say more than that, but he is in a really good place.”

May postponed a UK tour in December with singer Kerry Ellis.

In a statement, he said that he had “agonized” over the decision to indefinitely postpone his upcoming Candlelight concert dates with Ellis.

“I managed to complete the recent Queen and Adam Lambert dates in Asia but I have been increasingly battling with a persistent illness which is destroying my energy and my will,” May wrote on his official website. “I am now at the point where I don't feel confident to perform the scheduled shows to the standard we all expect.”

“I've been strongly advised to rest and heal, rather than go out and risk 'falling down on the job' out there, which would be a real tragedy. I'm convinced it's much better taking the step to cancel the dates now, refunding the fans for the ticket sales, and giving all our team a chance to re-plan their time in December. Sincere apologies to all,” he added.