Johnny Mathis has cancelled forthcoming gigs and announced his retirement from touring at the age of 89. The veteran artist shared that he was suffering from "memory issues" (according to the UK’s Sun newspaper) and has decided to quit the road ahead of his 90th birthday.

Mr. Mathis, 89, a pioneer of romantic ballads, is leaving the stage because of his age and memory problems, his website said.

Legendary pop singer Johnny Mathis will soon unplug the microphone and take his final bow. Mathis, 89, revealed that he is retiring from live performances after touring the globe for seven decades citing accelerating “age and memory issues.”