John Williams

Legendary composer John Williams, who brought us the soundtracks for ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Jaws,’ ‘Indiana Jones,’ and more, cancelled a scheduled appearance this Friday due to illness.

Williams was to conduct with the London Symphony Orchestra this weekend. The venue stated that while the composer can no longer attend the event, it was his wish that the performance goes on as scheduled. Williams’ management team released the following statement:

“John is so sorry that an illness prevents him from conducting Friday’s concert, and he’s grateful to his friend Maestro Dirk Brass for taking the podium in his place. He so wishes he could be with everyone, and the knowledge that 5,000 of his friends will be joining together to celebrate his music is a great comfort to him as he recovers. He wishes everyone a very joyous evening of music.”

With sixty years of experience, Williams helped bring to life many popular films with his music. His compositions have been met with critical acclaim and awards, as Williams currently holds the record for most Oscar nominations earned by any living person. He is the second most nominated person ever, right behind Walt Disney.

Williams set to make his return to the ‘Star Wars’ franchise for the upcoming ‘Episode IX.’ He has suggested that he’ll likely retire from the franchise once that part of the story is wrapped, saying:

“We know J.J. Abrams is preparing (Episode IX) now, that I will hopefully do next year for him. I look forward to it. It will round out a series of nine (films). That will be quite enough for me. Disney Studios probably will take it further. As you know, Disney has acquired the rights for Lucasfilm, and they will probably continue on through… decades, possibly, doing ‘Star Wars’-related attractions.”

We certainly wish Williams a full and speedy recovery! Check back for more news as it becomes available.