Jason Aldean, the country music superstar who was performing when a gunman opened fire in Las Vegas on Sunday night, has canceled his next three concerts "out of respect for the victims, their families and our fans."
"It has been an emotional time for everyone involved this week, so we plan to take some time to mourn the ones we have lost and be close with our family and friends," Aldean said Tuesday night in a statement on Twitter.
Aldean was belting out hits at the Route 91 Harvest festival on Sunday night when the lone gunman, Stephen Craig Paddock, sprayed the crowd of some 22,000 fans with a barrage of bullets for nine minutes, killing at least 58 people and injuring at least 500 others. Authorities said Tuesday night that the widely reported number of 59 deaths includes the gunman.
Aldean, who was slated to perform three shows this weekend in Southern California, said he plans to resume his tour on Oct. 12 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
"Our first time back onstage will be a very tough and emotional thing for us, but we will all get through it together and honor the people we lost by doing the only thing we know how to do — play our songs for them," Aldean said.
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He thanked his friends and fans for "the outpouring of love."
"You guys have no idea how much you have helped get us through this tough time," he said.
