Ailing Ne-Yo rebounds for 3 U.K. gigs

MANCHESTER, England, July 20 (UPI) -- U.S. recording artist Ne-Yo blamed a bad sinus infection and exhaustion for his on-stage meltdown during a gig in Manchester, England, last week.

The ailing singer reportedly broke down in tears after he struggled to finish his concert last Thursday and ended up leaving the stage mid-show.

The BBC quoted him as saying on his blog that his family, music and fans are the most important things to him and it "literally broke (his) heart to tell 12,000 of the people responsible for making (him) who he is that he could not perform."

"I've never had to stop a show; never dreamed I'd ever have to," he wrote in the Web posting. "I cried harder than I have in a very long time with no shame whatsoever. ... From the first song I knew something was wrong. I shoulda stopped there, but I come from a school where no matter what, the show must go on. It wasn't until about four songs in that I came to the painful realization that my voice was done, literally nothing left, and that I would have to stop the show."

Ne-Yo thanked his Manchester fans for their understanding and support, and promised he would return to give them the show they deserve.

The BBC said the singer recovered in time to perform three scheduled concerts in Liverpool, Newcastle and London during the weekend.