Bragg Scraps American Dates

British singersongwriter Billy Bragg has cancelled his upcoming U.S. tour following the death of his mother.

The A New England singer's mum, Marie, passed away on Friday (18Mar11) after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Bragg made the decision to scrap the shows after his mum fell ill last week, stating, "Her health has deteriorated to such a critical extent in the past week that I am now unable to fulfil these dates. As her life slips away, I feel that my place is by her side".

Following her death, Bragg is expected to stay in England and mourn hismother's passing.

He tweeted the news of her death to followers on Saturday (19Mar11), writing, "After a long and active life and a short illness, my mother Mariepassed away yesterday, surrounded by her family. Thank you for all the kind sentiments that have been expressed via twitter in the past few days".