King Sunny Ade and his African Beats were scheduled to tour North America this spring – including a performance on the Congo Square Stage Sunday, April 25 at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell. Unfortunately, that tour has been cancelled, which means his appearance in New Orleans is off as well.

Two members of the African Beats, talking drummer Gabriel Ayanniyi and percussionist Omo Olope, were killed in a car accident March 26. Though the band tried to carry on with its touring commitments, it became clear that they were unable to move ahead at this time. That, combined with the difficulty of getting visas for replacement players at this late date, led to the decision to cancel the tour.

Jazz Fest has yet to make any official announcements about how his withdrawal will be dealt with.