COMEDIAN Russell Brand has cancelled the rest of a tour of Britain and Ireland following a car crash which saw his mother suffer "life-threatening injuries".
Barbara Brand (71) was a passenger in her son's chauffeur-driven Audi A8 which was in a collision with another car in Essex last Thursday morning.
Brand was due to perform in the Olympia in Dublin on May 23 and 24 and Belfast's Waterfront Hall on Saturday May 26, but all shows have now been cancelled.
In a video posted on Twitter, he told fans: "My mum's been in a really serious road accident and has sustained what are called poly-traumatic injuries, that means numerous, life-threatening injuries.
"So, I won't be able to do the rest of my Rebirth tour. If you've got tickets, they'll be refunded or possibly rescheduled but I can't really imagine that and I certainly can't imagine performing at the moment, because I feel too sad and too connected to this.
"I apologise but obviously it's circumstances beyond my control."
Brand (42) said he realised "the importance of people you love".
"I'm sad for my mum. She's vulnerable and she only finished chemotherapy a month ago. For her to be in this situation already is very difficult."
The performer also praised the NHS, saying "to see the way the medical professionals operate is phenomenal. We should be really grateful for the NHS. I think of it as the soul of this country."
Brand added that he would be off social media "for a while".
"Thank you for all your positive, beautiful messages," he said.
