Rihanna delays 'Anti' world tour after illness

The first scheduled show is now on March 12 instead of February 26

Rihanna delayed the start of a world tour on Thursday days after the R&B star missed the Grammys, citing an illness that affected her voice.

The first scheduled show on Rihanna's Anti tour is now March 12 in Jacksonville, Florida, according to her website and notices from venues.

Rihanna had previously been due to open the tour on February 26 in San Diego, but has postponed eight shows.



The singer abruptly canceled a performance on Monday at the Grammys, the music industry's top awards.

#NAVY so sorry I couldn't be there ..... Thanks Grammys and CBS for your support tonight.

— Rihanna (@rihanna) February 16, 2016

Her representative said at the time that the Barbados-born singer had fallen ill and was under doctor's orders to rest her vocal cords to avoid permanent damage.



A representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Rihanna is scheduled to end the tour on August 12 in Zurich.



The Barbados-born singer toured extensively in 2013 and then briefly the following year with Eminem, but had since kept a lower profile.

She returned to the scene last month with Anti, her first full-length album since 2012.