Bo Bice leaves Idol tour after abdominal surgery

Bice was rushed to the hospital on Thursday, August 18, just before the evening's performance was to begin. He had surgery the following day to repair what's been called a "kink" or "blockage" in his intestines and has since missed several more performances. Bice is not expected to be able to rejoin the tour before it ends on September 10.

"It was major surgery," said Bice's mother, Nancy Downes. "Bo is recovering. Doctors removed a tube from his stomach used for draining blood during surgery...he was very ill." Members of Bice's band, Sugar Money, have posted a message on their Web site announcing that the surgery was "a success" but that Bice will need to recuperate at home for an unknown length of time. The message thanks Bice's family, friends, and fans for their "incredibly kind prayers and words of support."

The as-yet-unexplained ailment is the most serious in a string of unfortunate events that have plagued Bice since the start of the tour. He broke his foot onstage during a July 31 performance after trading in his cowboy boots for a pair of sneakers, and he suffered from a bout of food poisoning on August 13. On August 17, Bice's half brother, John Cohran, and his pregnant wife Colette were briefly hospitalized after a car accident occurred when Cohran swerved to avoid hitting an animal on the way home from the Idol tour's Los Angeles show.

Bice has apparently endured mysterious stomach ailments for much of the summer, but no official diagnosis has been announced. His grandmother did mention that the singer has suffered from ulcers for "most of his life."

The remaining Idols are showing their support for Bice as they continue their tour without him. At Saturday's San Jose show, Bice's performance of "Vehicle" was projected on a large screen, a group rendition of "Sweet Home Alabama" was sung in his honor, and Constantine Maroulis donned a Bo Bice T-shirt for the evening's encore.