Despite being booked to perform at Drake's OVO Fest with headliner Machel Montano, Beenie Man had to cancel his appearance after getting infected with the Zika Virus. According to the legendary reggae and dancehall artist, he was prevented from traveling to Canada for the event because of the disease.
Beenie Man was supposed to be in Toronto on July 30 for a performance during the second day of the OVO Fest. However, immigration officials denied giving him a visa after discovering that he has contracted the virus, Billboard reported.
The singer apologized to his fans through his Instagram account and even posted a photo of him lying on a hospital bed. In the caption, Beenie Man noted that he was subjected to various tests and treatment procedures due to his condition.
A photo posted by KingBeenieMan (@kingbeenieman) on Jul 30, 2016 at 12:01pm PDT
Ticketmaster, the company that handled the passes for the OVO Fest, confirmed that Beenie Man was not able to attend the event due to the Zika Virus. The company also assured fans that despite the artist's cancellation, Montano, Beenie Man's co-headliner, still performed along with other surprise guests.
"Due to immigration issues, Beenie Man will no longer be able to perform as part of OVO Fest 2016 on Saturday July 30th at TD Echo Beach in Toronto," Ticketmaster said in a statement according to Rolling Stone.
"In his place we have booked a slew of surprise special guests and of course Machel Montano will still headline as planned, with special guests of his own," the company added.
It is not yet clear exactly when or where Beenie Man contracted the virus, which spreads through mosquito bites. However, as pointed out by the Rolling Stone, the artist made the revelation about his condition just hours after it was reported that the Zika Virus has reached Florida. On July 29, CNN noted that four individuals in the Broward and Miami-Dade counties have been infected with the virus.
