Rod Stewart has announced that next year’s tour will be his last, bringing his six decades of performing on the road to a close. He said he had made the decision with sadness and thanked fans for the life his music had made possible, inviting them to see him perform one more time.

The 21-date European tour, titled The Final Encore, is due to run from Dublin on 23 April to Hannover on 24 July, with UK shows in Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and London. Howard Jones will support the UK and Ireland dates. Stewart, 81, recently had a coronary stent fitted after doctors found a blockage linked to an underlying heart issue; he had also cancelled earlier shows because of illness and vocal strain.